Stakeholders of the Online Pharmaceutical Market

Abstract

During the past two decades, the pharmacy supply chain has developed a new segment besides traditional “brick and mortar” pharmacies. The expansion of the internet, consumer experience in online purchases, the ease of mail order trade, and distance selling have facilitated the growth of the internet pharmacy landscape. Changes in health-seeking behavior, patient empowerment, and openness to self-diagnosis and self-treatment have also contributed to the phenomenon and were further facilitated by the pandemic. Various types of online medicinal product sellers have been published previously, however, authors have classified online pharmacies mainly according to legality and patient safety considerations. As online pharmacies show great diversity, no distinct categories can be specified, rather pharmacies on the web can be categorized by multiple aspects. Admittedly, consumer preferences, regulatory environment, and legitimacy of operation are key influencing factors. In this chapter, key aspects of categorization and nomenclature are discussed to profile different vendors on the internet.