In an article written by Stephanie Sutton for Pharmatech.com it was reported that the “threat of counterfeit medicines in the next year will be more severe than ever, according to a survey of 1000 companies conducted in October 2010 by Pharma IQ.”The article went on to point out that “more than 60 of the 1000 pharma anti-counterfeiting specialists surveyed believed that the threat of counterfeit medicines would increase and 53.8 have said they intend to invest more in anti-counterfeiting.”With that alarming threat in mind, now might be a good time to take a look at the FDA’s guidelines on how to best protect yourself from the dangers of buying medicines online. Following are 8 points they site to make sure that you are truly getting the medicine you need:

1. Only buy from state-licensed pharmacy websites located in the U.S.
2. Don’t buy from websites that sell prescription drugs without a prescription.
3. Don’t buy from websites that offer to prescribe a drug for the first time without a physical exam by your doctor or by answering an online questionnaire.
4. Check with your state board of pharmacy or the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to see if an online pharmacy has a valid pharmacy license and meets state quality standards.
5. Look for privacy and security policies that are easy to find and easy to understand.
6. Don’t give any personal informationsuch as a social security number, credit card information, or medical or health historyunless you are sure the website will keep your information safe and private.
7. Use legitimate websites that have a licensed pharmacist to answer your question.
8. Make sure that the website will not sell your personal information, unless you agree.

In conjunction with the above you may want to also familiarize yourself with the FDA’s tips on other areas of fraud such as diagnostic tests and flu products.