Top Ten Qualities to Look for in an Online Pharmacy

As you may have noted, there are thousands or even hundreds of thousands of websites selling pharmaceutical products or drugs. These are called ONLINE PHARMACIES or PHARMACIES ONLINE.

Can they be trusted? Are they safe?

Yes, in many cases but only if you are careful and exercise your due diligence: this is all the more necessary since the consequences of cheating with pharmaceutical products can be much more serious than, for example, being conned into buying a useless fiction ebook or piece of sofware.

It can even be literally a matter of life and death.

So, here are the top 10 qualities to look for in an online pharmacy.

Go through the list carefully, use it as a filter for all the online pharmacies you come across, and you'll be covered!

1. ADEQUATE PRODUCT INFORMATION: It should be absolutely honest, say what the product does, what it does not do, side effects, incompatibilities, even... possible after-effects etc..

2. QUALITY: FDA-approved prescription drugs. Storage, Processing, Shipping must be under full compliance with US and FDA Regulations

3/4. SAFETY, SECURITY: If possible it should be accredited by bodies such as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) - "one of the most stringent and respected accrediting organizations dedicated to continuously improving the safety and quality of care provided to the public".

5. EASE OF USE: Easy ordering process, Fast delivery (Fast FedEx Delivery options, if available), Clear and Easy-to-undertstand Instructions for use.

6. DISCRETION: Discreet packaging - is it really necessary for your closest neighbor to know what was in that nice package you received yesterday :-).

7. PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY: Free consultation online: Like many people, you probably find the anonymity of an online medical consultation rather more pleasant than what could be an embarrassing conversation with your personal physician and his/her office staff.

You complete an online medical questionnaire which is thoroughly reviewed by a licensed physician, and if found suitable for treatment, the prescription will be dispensed and shipped by a licensed pharmacy.

If the consulting physician has any questions or concerns regarding your medical history or needs more information, he or she should contact you by email or by phone.

8. PRICE: Discounted, as much as possible, provided low prices does not mean low quality!

9. INTERNATIONAL ORDERS, if you do not live in the US. This should not be overlooked: Some online pharmacies only sell to customers in the US and Canada. And in some cases, they only tell you AFTER you've gone through almost the whole of the ordering process. This can be quite frustrating.

10. GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE, including a toll free number for US residents and another number for international customers.

To be on the safe (and pleasant) side, always look for these top 10 qualities in an online pharmacy.

Rogue Online Pharmacies: The Internet War Of 2005

Online Pharmacy owners who haven't been working within moral and governmental regulations are in for the ride of their lives. In past months, many of these so called "rogue pharmacies" have either voluntarily shut down or been closed by the powers that be. However, the major illegitimate players have been unable to cover their tracks, and some have been outright irresponsible.

Back in 2002, it was easy and comforting to start a personal affiliate site for one of the few legitimate online pharmacies around. However, from 2003 on it became clear that some business-savvy people thought it was fine to sell counterfeit prescription medications, or even go as far as charging a hefty "doctor's fee" for processing an online consultation when no doctors were involved!

Since those days began, numerous restrictions of trade have been put into effect over the whole span of online pharmacy industry. These restrictions are, so far, limited mainly to advertising. But, without quality advertising, how can one's business acquire customers? For example, search engine giant Google made a policy change which prohibited online pharmacy advertisers from using its AdWords pay-per-click ad service; that is, unless they had a SquareTrade online pharmacy license. I won't even get into the problems with that system.

In the past months, anyone who watches the health news sector has read all the stories of online pharmacy owners going to jail for 4 years on average and being required to forfeit most of their assets such as Porsche sports cars and penthouses. After all, when you get away charge large fees for services you don't provide, the cash should just roll in.

Recent news reports talk of the software company Microsoft and Pfizer teaming up to shut down a whole network or ring of illegitimate online pharmacies. Out of a total of 17 law suits, named operations include "CanadaPharmacy," "E-Pharmacy Direct," "DiscountRx," "VirtualRx", and "EzyDrugStore."

The reasoning behind this latest group of law suits stands on the platform of ridding the online pharmacy industry of sellers of counterfeit drugs. These cases involve counterfeit versions of Pfizer's flagship medication, Viagra, a safe solution to the embarrassing and stressful problem of erectile dysfunction. If this is about drugs, you ask, then why is Microsoft involved? Well, as the owner of the Hotmail free email service used by millions of people, the company seems to have vowed to do all it can to kill off the companies such as those above, who send out hundreds of millions of emails to Hotmail customers, carefully crafted to get past current spam filters.

Every Pharmaceutical Drug LEECHES Nutrients From Your Body

Are you currently on one or more pharmaceutical drugs? Perhaps you are not aware, but every pharmaceutical drug depletes the body of various nutrients, depriving your cells of the essential raw materials which drive normal, natural cell function. The data on our industrialized food supply already suggestes that each of us is not getting enough nutrition from diet alone. If you're taking one or more pharmaceutical drugs, your situtation is likely to be even worse.

In the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook the following information is listed.

"HMG CoA Reductase Inhibitors delete the body of Coenzyme Q10, an important nutrient, and that result of this depletion could lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, decreased body function, and decreased cardiac output."

How could that be affecting your life if you are currently on one of those drugs? Perhaps you should consider a high-quality supplement that contains Qoenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) so make up for your depletion.

If you found our your were iron deficient (anemic), you'd probably take an iron supplement, right?

Other items listed in the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook.

"Many anticonvulsants cause a depletion of Vitamin D, folic acid, and calcium. Depleting these nutrients has the potential to cause problems such as osteoporosis, muscle weakness, blood pressure irregularities, and heart disease."

In this case, perhaps you should consider a high-quality multivitamin supplement to simply replace the nutrients your body needs.

"Almost every antibiotic causes a disruption of normal bowel flora and a reduction in the production of important vitamins, leading to diarrhea and other gastrointestinal side effects."

I have a personal experience where my life was saved through antibiotics, but I certainly experienced these side effects. Fortunately there are quality bowel flora supplements which help provide the body with normal levels of intestinal bacteria. This is critical in the metabolization of many vitamins, such as the Vitamin B family.

Here's what the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook has to say about Estrogen Replacement Therapy.

"Taking Estrogen Replacement Therapy can cause a depletion of important B vitamins, leadingto anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease, and depression."

Again perhaps you should choose a high-quality multivitamin supplement and also provide the nutrients that support normal endocrine function.

The Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook provides a drug index, which alphabetically lists drugs by both brand and generic name, with cross-references and the scientific basis, studies and abstracts for the research which determined which nutrients are depleted by the particular drug. It also lists nutrient information with concise descriptions of the effects of depletion. What medications are you taking that are depriving your body of essential nutrients?

Starting Salary and Income Ranges for Pharmaceutical Drug Sales Representatives

When I was a pharmaceutical drug sales representative, I remember that one of the doctors I called on had asked me how much money drug representatives make. When I told him the different salary ranges, he was very surprised, especially with what the high performers can make in this field.

The fact is that overall incomes of pharmaceutical drug sales representatives can come from a few different sources including base salary, sales bonuses and other benefits.

Base Salary

The main component of income for a drug representative of course is the base salary. The starting salary for recent university or college graduates with no prior experience in sales could be in the mid $30,000s to $40,000s range. Those with a few years of related work experience could negotiate to the higher end of this range.

Base salaries typically increase quite well with years of service to a pharmaceutical company. After several years, the base salary of a drug sales representative could be in the $50,000s to $70,000s range. Promotions to specialist hospital pharmaceutical sales positions will often result in an even higher range.

Sales Bonuses for Good Performance

Most pharmaceutical sales forces reward their drug reps with financial sales bonuses if certain quotas are achieved or exceeded. Depending on how much sales quotas or budgets are exceeded, the bonus component of a drug rep’s overall earnings can be very significant. This is how the big money in pharmaceutical sales is made.

High performers can earn bonuses that push their overall earnings to six figures. On top of that, the top pharmaceutical sales representatives can win special vacation trips as part of performance incentives.

Company Car and Other Perks

The use of the company car and other perks such as excellent health benefits will amount to the equivalent of several thousand dollars so these should also be taken into account. The cost of a recent model car and all the expenses associated with it such as fuel plus repairs do add up. All of these auto expenses are covered by the company. This is a very nice perk when considering that in most other jobs, car expenses come out from one's own pocket.

So when evaluating job offers from pharmaceutical companies, new sales reps who have never been in the industry should not worry too much about starting salaries. Income will go up significantly if performance is there. It is much more important to get the sales experience first and then in the future, there is always the option to move to other pharmaceutical companies if the overall earning potentials are greater elsewhere.