We're pleased to announce that Chemist-4-U, LegitScript's first probationary-certified company, has now earned full certification. The change in status occurred early in the new year and is a reflection of about two years in which the online pharmacy has remained in compliance with LegitScript's certification standards. Probationary certification is for applicants who have had past substantial compliance issues and have recently come into compliance.
In August 2016, we released an exposé showing how the website chemist-4-u.com was making use of premium, "members-only" subdomains to sell prescription-only drugs (including controlled substances) to multiple jurisdictions outside the UK without requiring a valid prescription, and without holding appropriate licensure.
A year later, Chemist-4-U reached out to us, expressing a desire to remedy its behavior. LegitScript set forth strict parameters required for the company to come into compliance, including eliminating the members-only subdomain, restricting shipping only to jurisdictions in which the company was licensed or otherwise permitted to do, and addressing concerns around questionable products.
Following Chemist-4-U's remediation steps, we granted chemist-4-u.com "probationary certified" status, the first of its kind. This allowed Chemist-4-U to obtain all the rights of full certification, and it was regarded as "certified" for compliance purposes. However, under the probationary-certified status, Chemist-4-U was subject to a significantly more rigorous monitoring cadence than other certified entities.
Chemist-4-U is a perfect example of why probationary status is an important option for businesses with previous compliance issues. We want to incentivize and reward discontinuation of problematic activity, while still recognizing the gravity of serious prior transgressions.
We congratulate Chemist-4-U on their new certification status!
LegitScript's Healthcare Merchant Certification is an important service for merchants and acquirers. Learn more about the benefits of certification for your pharmacy, telemedicine service, or other healthcare business.
