Online pharmacies in Czech Republic report record increase in sales

2010-09-08

Czechs are increasingly buying their medicines over the internet, as can be seen from the steeply rising sales of online pharmacies. The DocSimon online pharmacy, which also operates a chain of traditional pharmacies, reported sales worth CZK 109m (€4.4m) last year from its online transactions, a tenfold increase since the CZK 9m (€0.36m) of 2007, when it launched its online shop. Online sales account for 25% of DocSimon’s total turnover, whereas three years ago the figure was only 3%. Jan Bures, at DocSimon, says that the company predicts a 25% increase in sales this year.
A similar result, an increase of approximately 20% in sales in 2010, is expected by Lekarna.cz, the first online Czech pharmacy.
Currently, approximately 200,000 people in Czech Republic shop online for their medicines, according to the State Institute for Drug Control (SUKL). Many people still have some trust in dubious online offers and advertisements, and end up buying counterfeit or illegal drugs. The SUKL therefore, in March 2010 launched a campaign in which it warns consumers about illegal sales of prescription drugs or counterfeit versions over the internet. It claims that, as counterfeit products can be produced under very basic conditions, they can be very dangerous to human health and potentially lead to death.