ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2023
Illicit Online Pharmacies: A Scoping Review.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Variation and gaps in online pharmacy regulation: a comparative review of regulations across 12 countries.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Online Pharmacy Adoption and Consumer Perception: A Systematic Review of Existing Literature.Cureus · 2025Review
- A scoping review and expert consensus on digital determinants of health.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2025Article
- The good, the bad, and the ugly: Compliance of e-pharmacies serving India and Kenya with regulatory requirements and best practices.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- A qualitative exploration of consumers' views and experiences toward online pharmacies: Narrative from a developing country.PloS one · 2025Article
- Article
- Fair Balance of Prescription Drug Information on Legitimate and Illegitimate Online Pharmacy Websites.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The characteristics and operations of "online pharmacies" investigated in relation to medicines popularised during the coronavirus pandemic: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- What influences consumers' online medication purchase intentions and behavior? A scoping review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- Editorial: Internet pharmacies and the online pharmacy market: trends, perspectives and challenges.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This scoping review presents the extent and nature of the body of literature on illicit online pharmacies (IOPs) and identifies research gaps. Using the five-step framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL, Science Direct and PsycInfo to retrieve relevant studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals. The search strategy identified forty-three articles that met the inclusion criteria. Ten themes were identified and categorized into five clusters: patient risk, healthcare providers, marketing and supply chain, public health and society, and policy and regulation. Research into these clusters has evolved over time and has focused increasingly on issues related to specific drugs rather than the overall phenomenon. Data collection has been dominated by convenience sampling, online searches, content analysis and surveys. Data analysis remains primarily descriptive. Gaps within the extant literature suggest an agenda for future research into regulation and enforcement; public health awareness and education; healthcare services; risks to patients and public health; patient-, price- and product-related issues; website design; social media promotion; and supply chains and logistics. We conclude that IOPs are vastly understudied and suggest an urgent need for further empirical and conclusive research.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.