Ordering medication online is no longer a novelty. For many people, it has become part of everyday healthcare, from refilling medication for chronic conditions to finding medicines that may be unavailable locally.
As digital healthcare services grow, vital questions remain unanswered: How can patients tell which online pharmacy is legitimate? Are medicines purchased online safe? How should prescriptions be verified? How can medicines be transported safely without compromising their quality? And how can regulations keep pace with innovations that are evolving faster than policy?
These questions were explored in the latest episode of Inside the Capsule, the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya’s (PSK) podcast hosted by Dr. Sonia Thuita. Joining her were Dr. Victor Mulelo and Dr. Darian Ivayo, researchers at the Prism Centre, alongside Dr. Sammy Masibo, PSK Treasurer and Mixed Health Systems Regulation and Governance (MHSRG) Hub Lead at the Prism Centre.
Drawing on several years of research into online pharmacy practice in Kenya, the discussion painted a balanced picture of both the promise and the challenges of digital pharmaceutical care. The message was clear: e-pharmacies are here to stay. The conversation is no longer about whether they should exist, but how they can be regulated to deliver safe, high-quality pharmaceutical care.
Improving Access, One Delivery at a Time
Online pharmacies are often viewed as a convenience for busy urban consumers. The discussion, however, showed that they are also improving access to medicines for some of Kenya’s most vulnerable populations. They have made it easier for older adults, people living with disabilities and those managing chronic illnesses to receive medicines without making unnecessary – and sometimes long and expensive – trips to brick-and-mortar pharmacies.
Stories shared during the episode brought this to life. A patient living with chronic illnesses in rural Kenya once travelled long distances to refill their monthly prescription, but now can receive the medication much closer to home. In another example, a medicine prescribed for a child in Kilifi could not be found locally but was eventually sourced and delivered through an online pharmacy.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift towards digital healthcare, making remote consultations and medicine delivery part of routine care for many people. However, the speakers acknowledged that the benefits of online pharmacies are not yet equally accessible. Reliable internet access, smartphones and digital literacy remain out of reach for many communities.
An Online Pharmacy Is More Than an Online Shop
One of the biggest misconceptions addressed during the episode is that anyone selling medicines online operates an online pharmacy.
In reality, a legitimate online pharmacy is intended to be a digital extension of a licensed brick-and-mortar pharmacy, providing the same professional care through digital platforms. That distinction matters because pharmacy extends far beyond dispensing medicines. It includes verifying prescriptions, counselling patients, answering questions and supporting safe medicine use.
Kenya already has guidelines governing online pharmaceutical practice, placing it ahead of many countries regionally. However, as digital health has evolved, gaps have emerged. While regulations exist, their implementation has been inconsistent, and medicine sales through social media platforms continue to present new challenges for regulators.
Why Better Regulation Matters
Some of the most compelling moments in the conversation came from Prism Centre’s own research into e-pharmacy practice in Kenya. Using simulated patient scenarios, researchers found that important clinical questions were sometimes overlooked before medicines were supplied.
For instance, women of childbearing age were not always screened before receiving medicines that could pose risks during pregnancy. Prescription medicines were occasionally dispensed without adequate verification, and photographs of prescriptions could be reused across multiple pharmacies in the absence of a centralised verification system.
Perhaps most strikingly, researchers found that 82 percent of pharmacies supplied an antibiotic regimen that was clearly inappropriate, despite opportunities for pharmacists to intervene.
However, one finding challenged a common assumption: These weaknesses were not unique to online pharmacies.
Similar shortcomings were observed in conventional brick-and-mortar pharmacies, suggesting that many of the challenges reflect broader health system issues rather than problems created by digital health services alone.
Regulate, Don’t Ban
Rather than arguing against online pharmacies, the discussion consistently pointed to a different solution: better regulation. Whether for medicine delivery, prescription verification or medicine sales through social media, the emphasis remained the same. Digital healthcare is expanding, and the regulatory framework needs to grow alongside it.
Panellists cautioned against blanket bans, and instead explored practical ways to strengthen patient safety, from developing better systems for identifying licensed providers and verifying prescriptions to improving delivery standards and medicine handling.
The discussion also highlighted the need for stronger digital infrastructure to support the e-pharmacy sector, including shared prescription repositories, interoperable pharmacy systems and more reliable mechanisms for verifying that prescriptions are valid and have not already been dispensed. These systems can help reduce prescription misuse while making it easier for pharmacists to provide safe and accountable care.
Patients also have a role to play. The speakers encouraged consumers to purchase medicines only from licensed online pharmacies displaying the Pharmacy and Poisons Board’s Health and Safety Code and to pay close attention to packaging, labels and other signs that may indicate substandard or falsified medicines.
From Research to Action: How We Make Online Pharmacies Safer
The issues discussed during the podcast are already informing broader efforts to strengthen online pharmacy governance in Kenya.
Last year, the Prism Centre convened a multi-stakeholder consensus-building workshop that brought together regulators, healthcare providers, online pharmacy operators, professional associations, researchers and patient representatives to identify practical reforms for the sector. Many of the recommendations emerging from that process are shaping ongoing discussions on strengthening Kenya’s regulatory framework while supporting responsible digital innovation.
Listen to the Full Conversation: Inside the Capsule Episode 4
The episode goes beyond the question posed in its title. It invites listeners to think about what safe, patient-centred digital healthcare should look like as more people turn to digital pharmacy services.
Whether you’re a healthcare professional, policymaker, researcher or simply someone who has ever considered ordering medicines online, this discussion gives an accessible introduction to the opportunities, challenges and policy questions shaping the future of pharmacy in Kenya.
Listen to the full episode of Inside the Capsule on YouTube here or Spotify here to hear the complete conversation.
