Almost a quarter of internet pharmacies using the regulator’s approved logo do not meet the standards required to display it, a survey has suggested.The audit, carried out by internet pharmacy Pharmacy2U, checked 100 pharmacies using the non-mandatory internet pharmacy logo, introduced in 2008, on their website. The logo links to the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) register, allowing customers to confirm a pharmacy is legitimate.The Pharmacy2U survey found 23 sites that breached the logo’s conditions of use, with 14 per cent missing the name of the business, and 16 per cent not stating the name of the superintendent pharmacist. Information on how to confirm the pharmacy’s status as legitimate was missing from 16 sites, while a further 16 per cent did not detail how to make a complaint. And 13 per cent of internet pharmacies surveyed appeared to breach NHS brand guidelines.Pharmacy2U called the findings “very disturbing”. Managing director Daniel Lee called on the GPhC to ensure sites displaying the logo upheld the required standards, warning the survey showed the “credibility and integrity of internet pharmacy is being put at risk”.“The verification process for the internet pharmacy logo needs to be robustly monitored and adhered to,” Mr Lee added.An MHRA spokesperson said all internet pharmacies should follow the GPhC guidelines. “If there is evidence to suggest that any registered UK pharmacies are suspected of breaching the legislation or guidance, then this should be referred to the GPhC without delay,” the MHRA added.A GPhC spokesperson said the regulator was aware of the problems posed for customers trying to verify internet pharmacies as legitimate. “We have been and are looking at internet pharmacy, as it remains difficult to control… we are looking at logo usage,” they added.