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The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacy in the EU

ASOP EU

The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacy in the EU (ASOP EU: www.asop.eu) is united by a single objective; that by taking concerted voluntary actions, and campaigning for appropriate legislation, a safer environment for patients who choose to obtain their medicines online can be created.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Union prevention, preparedness, and response plan for health crises

24 Oct 2025

The OnHOME Alliance welcomes the European Commissions initiative to strengthen prevention, preparedness, and response planning as core pillars of the EU health security framework. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the urgent need for resilient, interconnected, and people-centred health systems capable of managing crisis while ensuring continuity of care. However, while the Call for Evidence rightly focuses on preparedness for cross-border health threats, it does not sufficiently recognise the strategic importance of digital health and cross-border access to medicines in building system resilience, fostering cooperation among Member States, and supporting effective emergency responses. Health security is not only about efficient crisis management but also about building resilience in health systems. Ensuring continuity of care and uninterrupted access to essential medicines prevents avoidable health deterioration, reduces pressure on hospitals, and safeguards public trust in healthcare during crises. OnHOME believes that enabling EU patients to access prescribed medication safely online, through registered pharmacies, is a practical, patient-focused contribution to the EUs health security goals, especially for patients with chronic and life-threatening conditions. Several elements of the Call to Action directly align with the proposed initiative: 1. Strengthening continuity of care and resilience: During emergencies, vulnerable patients often face major obstacles in obtaining their medicines due to mobility restrictions, supply chain disruptions, or staffing shortages. Allowing patients to order prescriptions online and receive them at home reduces these risks, ensuring that chronic treatments and follow-up care remain uninterrupted. 2. Leveraging existing EU digital infrastructure: The EU has already developed secure and complementary digital health services through the EHDS, e-prescription systems, and the EUDI. Integrating online order and home delivery of prescription medicines in this digital ecosystem ensures authenticity, safety, and cross-border interoperability, strengthening preparedness for future emergencies and for the everyday functioning of more resilient healthcare systems. 3. Reducing vulnerabilities in medicine access: Low adherence to treatments, often due to logistical barriers, such as out-of-stock pharmacies, forgotten refills, or limited mobility, costs an estimated 125 billion annually and contributes to 200.000 premature deaths/year. By addressing these gaps through digital access, the EU reduces systemic vulnerabilities before crises can amplify them, particularly among patients managing long-term treatments, where adherence is critical for survival and quality of life. 4. Protecting citizens from falsified medicines: The proliferation of illegal online platforms selling falsified medicines is a real cross-border health threat. Authorising and promoting legitimate, registered e-pharmacies with the EU Common Logo provides citizens with safe and trusted options, helping to combat organised crime and protect supply chains. 5. Workforce resilience and innovation: Health workforce shortages are a growing challenge across Europe. Expanding access to telepharmacy and online consultations helps maintain service delivery during emergencies while reducing strain on overburdened staff, reinforcing preparedness by ensuring that pharmacies remain accessible to citizens regardless of geographical or logistical barriers, while maintaining the pharmacist-patient relationship and ensuring adequate counselling for medicine use. The OnHOME Alliance urges the European Commission to explicitly recognise safe digital access to prescription medicines as a complementary tool for health security and to collaborate with Member States to harmonise and scale these practices across the EU. Such actions would enhance preparedness for cross-border health threats and builds more resilient and equitable health systems for
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Response to Single Market Strategy 2025

31 Jan 2025

Please note I have only pasted the problem Solution - contained in the file are two other sections - "Why is this a Single Market barrier?" as well as "the problem statement" Problem solution: Enabling registered pharmacies to supply prescription medicines via the Internet on an EU wide basis will provide an easy way to locate secure and legitimate pharmacy services and rapidly act as an educational awareness raising tool leveraging EU tools (EU Common Logo, registration in national registers, etc.) and to acknowledge that a pharmacy operating online is subject to the same standards and regulations as a physical pharmacy so will source the medicine from the legitimate protected supply chain. This would also enhance digitization in the pharmacy market segment with the benefits outlined above (benefits for patients in terms of convenience, better adherence and better use of resources within the health systems). And would improve safety through a regulated option given that technology (e.g. electronic prescription systems, anticounterfeiting and traceability mechanisms) and other relevant regulations (e.g. European Health Data Space and the EU Digital Identity wallet) are already in place to allow control, safety, and interoperability across the EU. What would be the regulatory interventions to enable the Single Market to order prescription medicines online? Modify article 172 of the General Pharmaceutical Law proposal, establishing EU conditions for the sale of medicinal products at a distance to the public. The aim is to update its language of Justice removing wording on outright prohibitions that are not evidence based and do not respond to the principles of necessity and proportionality, also in accordance with the case law from the European Court of Justice (including Case C-322/01 DocMorris, and Case C 148/15 Deutsche Parkinson). Such an amendment will encourage Member States to permit online availability of prescription medicines from authorised pharmacies, in accordance with Single Market rules for the benefit of all European patients and citizens. Repealing prohibitions and regulating online pharmaceutical services would be essential to advance equitable access to healthcare, better treatment outcomes, crisis preparedness and fight against falsified medicines. About ASOP EU The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacy in the EU (ASOP EU) is a non-profit organisation with pan European activities dedicated to protecting consumers and patients to ensure safe access to medicines and combating illegal online sellers of medicines. For more information, please contact: Mike Isles Executive Director
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Meeting with Karolina Herbout-Borczak (Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides) and European Association of E-Pharmacies

21 Nov 2023 · Exchange of views with the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacy and the European Association of e-Pharmacies on the access to medicines in the context of the pharma reform.

Response to Evaluation and revision of the general pharmaceutical legislation

26 Apr 2021

The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacy (ASOP EU - https://buysaferx.pharmacy/eu/) welcomes the revision of the EU general pharmaceuticals legislation calling for patient safety and campaigning for tough action against illegal online pharmacies. ASOP EU aims to make real and positive change to improve online safety and Europe can play a vital role in securing practical solutions to combat falsified medicines. Founded in 2014, participants in the Alliance is united by a single mission that together, we can create an environment that enables patients to buy their medicines online safely. The problem: An estimated 130 million EU citizens [ASOP EU extrapolation based on finding from Happy Curious pan EU survey 2014 1 (self-administered and collected online)] buy medicines online and the pandemic has meant that the use of the Internet for buying all types of products has been growing. Of the 35,000 websites pointed towards the European citizen, the fact that 96% [the Internet Pharmacy Market in 2016 Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities http://safemedsonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/The-Internet-Pharmacy-Market-in-2016.pdf] of websites are operating illegally, combine this with mis and disinformation via social media the situation is alarming. In March 2020 at least 100,000 new domain names were registered for questionable purposes that contained terms such as “covid,” "corona," and “virus. A recent report by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) identified dozens of rogue online pharmacies claiming to sell prescription drugs marketed for COVID-19 treatment. The NABP confirmed over 90% of the COVID-related domain names identified were registered anonymously. Recommendations: 1. Despite Article 5 within the 2000 E-Commerce Act which requires domain name buyers to reveal their identity – it is not being adhered to. Article 25 of the Digital Services Act (DSA) proposal restricts its scope to online marketplaces and does not extend the requirement to all Intermediaries to identify customers buying domain names. Given that it is likely that the majority of business transactions and interactions with the EU citizen are done outside of online marketplaces there is an absolute need to ensure that when a registrant decides to buy a domain name from a Registrar, the Registrant provides clear identification (name address, company name, telephone number, etc.). This measure will undoubtedly save lives as it will stop at the outset criminals entering on to the Internet to do business. 2. Under Article 85D of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive states that Member States and DG SANTE are legally obliged to inform the public about the dangers of falsified medicines and the relevance of the Common Logo. A previous report [Fighting Fakes by Member States Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacy, January 2018 https://buysaferx.pharmacy//wp-content/uploads/2020/04/A3A4-Fighting-Fakes-by-Member-States-Booklet.pdf] indicated that the EU citizen was not being educated to any reasonable degree. Given that the Common Logo was legally obliged to be placed on all websites selling medicines from July 2015, this needs attention. 3. Member States should adopt a safe haven approach such as the acquisition of a top level Domain name such as .pharmacy [NABP Pharmacy Verified Websites https://nabp.pharmacy/programs/accreditations-inspections/dotpharmacy/#:~:text=Criteria-,The%20.,licensure%20and%20valid%20prescription%20requirements] from ICANN. If Member States were to adopt this approach and alert the public to this domain selling genuine medicines, this would undoubtedly help protect patients from the criminal activity that is currently seen across the Internet.
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Meeting with Margaritis Schinas (Vice-President) and

8 Apr 2021 · Health Union

Response to Revision of the NIS Directive

18 Mar 2021

Please find attached the ASOP EU submission with additions to the original submission.. Thank you Mike Isles Executive Director ASOP EU mike.isles@asop.eu www.asop.eu Mobile +44 7540 462867
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Response to Revision of the NIS Directive

18 Mar 2021

ASOP EU submission is attached as a file. PDF Thank you Mike isles Executive Director ASOP EU mike.isles@asop.eu www.asop.eu
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Response to Digital Services Act: deepening the Internal Market and clarifying responsibilities for digital services

30 Jun 2020

Dear Sir/Madam Please find our organisations submission to European Commission Combined Evaluation Road Map and Inception Impact Assessment Reference Ares (2020)2877686 – 04/06/2020 Kind regards Mike Isles
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Meeting with Eric Peters (Cabinet of Commissioner Mariya Gabriel)

22 May 2018 · activities and work on patient safety, with particular focus on falsified medicines and the meaning of the Common Logo on legal online pharmacies; top level domain name .pharmacy

Meeting with Annika Nowak (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

3 May 2018 · Falsified medicines

Meeting with Jasmin Battista (Cabinet of Vice-President Andrus Ansip)

4 Mar 2015 · Online pharmacies

Meeting with Annika Nowak (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

2 Mar 2015 · Implementation of common logo for online pharmacies