Yes. Anyone selling medicines online must be registered with the relevant authority (in Austria, this is the BASG) and is subject to monitoring.

Quality requirements must be met, as set out in the Austrian Medicines Act (AMG) and in specific regulations for mail order sales. 
This means that:

• Only over-the-counter medicines that are approved in Austria may be sold online.
• Medicines that are prescription-only in Austria may not simply be delivered to Austria from another EEA country via mail order.
• Anyone who offers prescription-only medicines on the internet is liable to prosecution.

To ensure that an online shop is legal and sells medicines lawfully:

• The website must display an EU safety logo. There is one logo for human medicines and one for veterinary medicines.
• The flag in the logo indicates the country in which the shop is registered.
• When you click on the logo, you should be taken to the website of the relevant supervisory authority (in Austria, this is the BASG).
• The BASG website has a public list of online pharmacies in Austria that are authorised to sell non-prescription medicines by mail order.
• See current list of Austrian mail-order pharmacies,
• Current list of Austrian dispensing points for veterinary medicines

If you want to buy from a shop in another EEA country:

1. Click on the logo.
2. Check whether you are taken to the competent authority and whether the shop is on their list.
3. Only make a purchase if the shop is listed with the authority and is therefore legal.

Taking a counterfeit medicine can be dangerous.

Examples:

• Treating a serious illness with a counterfeit medicine may have serious consequences.
• If antibiotics are incorrectly dosed, for example, this can lead to bacterial resistance. The wrongfully treated disease may endanger the patient or may spread to others.
• Counterfeit medicines may contain toxic or harmful substances.

Not necessarily. Just because a mail order business is registered and is on the list does not automatically mean that it is already active on the internet. Some pharmacies are already registered but may not yet be operating their online shop.

No. Here is the explanation:

Pharmacies are only allowed to sell medicines by mail order that are approved or registered in Austria, are not prescription-only and are pre-packaged as so-called “speciality medicines”.

“Magistral” medicines are those that are prepared in a pharmacy specifically for a particular person on a doctor's prescription. These may not be sold by mail order.

“Officinal” medicines are those that have been prepared in the pharmacy and are to be dispensed directly to consumers there. These may not be sold by mail order either.

If you want to order medicines online:

• Make sure that the shop has an EU security logo and is on an official list.
• Make sure that the medicine is available without a prescription in Austria if you order it for shipment to Austria.
• Be aware of unregistered shops. Such shops are illegal – there may be a risk that the product is a counterfeit medicine.
• Some pharmacies may be registered but do not yet operate an online shop.
• Medicines specially manufactured for individuals ("magistral") and those that are to be dispensed directly in the pharmacy ("officinal") may not be sent by mail order.