What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages of E-Pharmacy?

What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages of E-Pharmacy in India

Internet is taking over every aspect of business. It is widely used across various fields of business. Why should the pharma industry miss out on this golden opportunity to expand its business horizons? Traditional means of supplying and selling Pharma products have been in practice for a long time however, there is a need to modernize things to give impetus to business initiatives about the pharma industry. This is where online mode comes into play.

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The first & foremost question out here is what is an online pharmacy? Drugs are made available over the counter in traditional means of business. In an online pharmacy business orders are taken in online mode and the drugs are sent to their destination. Having said, that we must not forget that this business model deals with preparation as well as selling of prescription & non-prescription drugs like traditional mode of business. Another fact worth stating is that close to 32,500 online pharmacists across the globe offer services legally for better healthcare to patients.

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Online sales of drugs started in the late 90's and it became a great medium of reaching out to new patients. There is mixed opinion both in support and in opposition of online pharmacy. Before moving any further there is a need for us to first up figure out what is E- Pharmacy and how it works. Until & unless we understand the concept of E-Pharmacy, it won't be possible to understand this mode of business.

E- Pharmacy Model of Business :

E -Pharmacy can be considered as a pharmacy that sells medicines on the internet and it also sees to it that the medicines are smoothly delivered to the customers. This has made the process of drug purchasing easier. The patients need to order the prescribed medicines from registered pharmacists through the Internet and they can acquire the medicines from the delivery point. Owing to easy access this model has gained more preference in comparison to traditional methods of selling medicines. Any process that is convenient in nature will be an instant hit so e-pharmacy is making inroads and stamping its authority as a successful business model to this industry.

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Mode of Operation of E-Pharmacy Business

How does E- Pharmacy work? This is important to know. First up the patients are required to download mobile applications on their phone or tablet PC. Once they are done with this part then they are required to make or create a request for medicines for which they have to upload a scanned copy of the prescription. It is noteworthy, that every drug request fed or inserted into the system is being controlled by a team of registered pharmacists. If they find the request to be valid in that event they forward it to the pharmacy warehouse of that region from where drugs are given to the patients.

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Key Advantages of E-Pharmacy are Jotted Down Below

• E- Pharmacy is always a boon for people especially when they live in far-flung areas to access medicines conveniently. The system is fast & reliable and patients get the medicines without facing any major inconvenience.
• Since the system is robust patients are not required to wait much to receive the medicines. It is not time-consuming. You don't have to stand in the queue before the medicine store or counter so it is less stressful to acquire the medicines.
• It offers another advantage. It saves money. It is said that if you buy drugs through online mode, you end up saving a third of the money in total. Money is usually a constraint for the majority of the patients so in this regard, it plays a very beneficial role.
• There is another facet to this model of business which is useful to a lot of patients. It is related to confidentiality and privacy. Some patients may have a certain amount of reservation in having face-to-face interactions with the doctors so for this category of patients this model of business is highly helpful.
• Sometimes you may not find a particular medicine in physical Pharma stores, but E-Pharmacy will not disappoint you. The range of medicine you find in online mode is far higher than in physical stores. 
• There are few online pharmacies that provide information about medicines and illnesses. They also provide links to useful information. In some cases, they also apprise about important medical resources, universities, and government agencies adding more to the knowledge level of patients so that they can make informed decisions.

Shortcomings of E - -Pharmacy are Stated Below

• One major drawback of this model revolves around the fact that there isn't a proper system to physically evaluate. This capability is missing in this mode to a great degree.  Even if it is done this process does not involve licensed healthcare professionals.
• Another demerit of E-Pharmacy is that the patients are deprived of asking any questions regarding the medicines in this model of business. The reason is, that there is nobody to consult face-to-face in online mode which could be somewhat discomforting to some of the patients.
• In some extreme cases, some pharmacies may send medicines without a prescription. This is worrisome from the patients' point of view, as it can compound the problem instead of getting healed. The pharmacist is supposed to ask for the prescription failing which medicines may not be dispensed. 
• Patient's privacy, personal & financial information must be protected. So it is imperative that online pharmacies create their own private policy pages on their websites. Third-party must not be privy to patients' personal or financial information. This fact must be given utmost importance.

Conclusion

This article has demonstrated the importance of E- Pharmacy and how it works. This business model offers plenty of benefits however, it has certain shortcomings discussed earlier in this article. If you see the overall utility of this business model, it's a win-win situation for both the sellers and patients. Of course, the drawbacks must be addressed, as the sustenance of every business model depends on providing the best to the customers in terms of products without compromising any factor that can lead to any form of dissatisfaction amongst the buyers.

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