A foreign pharmacy can be a good place to buy drugs on the Internet if you are aware of the rules and restrictions applicable to such purchases. One of the biggest advantages of purchasing drugs from a foreign pharmacy is the price factor. The taxes on lifesaving drugs differ in each country. The prices of drugs can be 25% to 55% higher in some developed countries in comparison to other developing nations and developed countries.

Some governments have eased some restrictions on purchase of medicines from foreign pharmacies, but there are still several grey areas in laws that govern the import of medicines from a foreign pharmacy. This adds to the confusion, and buyers are left with no option but to buy drugs at higher prices from local pharmacies. The Government generally allows patients to purchase drugs for individual use from a foreign pharmacy unless they do not pose any health risk to the person.

Despite the easing of restrictions, the medical regulatory authority discourages the practice as there is no way to ascertain the safety of imported drugs. Let's look at some advantages and risks involved in purchasing medicines from a foreign pharmacy.

Advantages of buying from a foreign pharmacy:

• People generally prefer buying from a foreign pharmacy due to the low prices offered. The overall costs of purchasing drugs which also include shipping charges can be tad lower in comparison to the purchase of the same quantity of drugs from an online pharmacy located in the State or a brick and mortar retail pharmacy store located nearby.
• Some drugs are not available in a country due to several reasons but may be available in other countries. You can easily order such medicines from a foreign pharmacy, unless you want drugs that have any controlled substance whose import is banned by laws.

Risks involved in buying from a foreign pharmacy:

• There is no way to ensure the safety of drugs purchased from a foreign pharmacy. These drugs may be as safe as medicines available in your local pharmacy. However, there is always a probability of drugs being fake, being manufactured using non-standard procedures, not being properly labeled, being not a different strength, having different active ingredients, etc. Your government has no control over the drugs manufactured in other countries and there is no way to determine the safety of medicines, nor any way to learn about the legitimacy of the foreign pharmacy selling it.
• There are several rogue pharmacies that are scams. There is a possibility that the foreign pharmacy you have selected to order a medicine is just another online scam. You may never receive medicines after paying for them. Besides, you also risk revealing personal and financial information to fraudsters that can be used for other online scams as well.

Looking at the risks involved, several patients do not order medicines from a foreign pharmacy. You need to do so some research about the foreign pharmacy from which you want to order medicines. There are several Internet pharmacy review websites that list genuine online pharmacies along with fake ones. If the foreign pharmacy is operational for a long time, there is a high probability you will find customer feedback about the foreign pharmacy you have selected.