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About one in three people in the UAE bought from online pharmacies during the pandemic according to a new study, raising concerns over the dangers of self-diagnosis and fake medication.
The scientists behind the UAE-led research highlighted an “urgent need” for tougher controls on the sale of medications online.
Web-based pharmacies have become more common in recent years and the researchers suggested they had become even more popular because of the pandemic.
Clearly, illegitimate OPs [online pharmacies] are a significant patient threat
Research authors
“In this time of crisis, it is crucial that OPs [online pharmacies] be more robustly controlled and that consumers be educated regarding the ways in which they purchase medication online,” the study authors wrote in the