Who regulates online pharmacies?
The state boards of pharmacy have primary responsibility for regulation of online pharmacies. Regulatory authority is mainly exercised by the state board of pharmacy of the state in which the pharmacy is physically located. In addition, most states protect their citizens by licensing out-of-state pharmacies that ship medications to patients in their jurisdictions. The same regulations that apply to traditional brick-and-mortar and mail-order pharmacies typically apply to online pharmacies. Federal agencies, such as FDA and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), are also partners with the state boards of pharmacy in this regulatory process. FDA, however, mainly regulates foreign-based sites and practitioners.
