Regulating Online Pharmacies: A Challenging but Overdue Duty for the Good of Consumer Protection

Abstract

The rapidly advancing world of the internet has created a new platform of consumer healthcare over the internet. Even though beneficial, this situation raises new issues in relation to consumer protection. The existence of online pharmacies provides many consumers with advantages from cost saving to anonymity but with the increasing number of illegal online pharmacies also poses new threats to consumer health. The aim of this paper is to analyse the regulatory challenges of a legal response to selling medication online. In this connection, the paper presents New Zealand’s current legal framework on the sale of medicines on the internet. The author argues that New Zealand lacks adequate regulation and therefore must concentrate on regulating the modern marketplace of health care more sufficiently. At this, the challenges of harmonising consumer autonomy and consumer protection are discussed. The paper focuses on detailed solutions concerning the regulation of internet pharmacies and in this context, refers to legal approaches undertaken by the United States of America.