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European Accessibility Act for online pharmacies

The European Accessibility Act (EU Directive 2019/882) has been fully applicable since 28 June 2025 and covers online pharmacies as well. Here's what it means in practice and how to check your site right away.

Why it concerns you too

Online pharmacies sell to consumers and fall squarely within the e-commerce covered by the European Accessibility Act. Their audience is largely older or disabled: here accessibility is not just a duty, it is the heart of the service.

The obligation comes from EU Directive 2019/882 (European Accessibility Act), fully applicable since 28 June 2025. Non-compliance risks administrative fines, consumer complaints and remediation orders. Only service microenterprises are exempt: fewer than 10 employees and less than €2 million turnover.

The issues we find most often in this sector

  1. Package leaflets as inaccessible PDFs

    Essential information on dosage and contraindications in image PDFs that screen readers cannot read.

  2. Symptom or category filters that cannot be navigated

    Dropdown filters and custom checkboxes with no keyboard support and no labels.

  3. Prices and promotions with insufficient contrast

    Discount badges and struck-through prices in faint colours: exactly the information an older customer looks for is the least readable.

These are recurring examples found in scans of sites in this sector: your site may have others (or none at all). The only way to know is to check.

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Check for free whether your online pharmacy is readable by all your customers: result in 30 seconds.

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Frequently asked questions

Does the European Accessibility Act apply to online pharmacies?
Online pharmacies sell to consumers and fall squarely within the e-commerce covered by the European Accessibility Act. Their audience is largely older or disabled: here accessibility is not just a duty, it is the heart of the service.
Which accessibility issues are typical for online pharmacies?
The three we find most often: Package leaflets as inaccessible PDFs; Symptom or category filters that cannot be navigated; Prices and promotions with insufficient contrast.
How do I check whether my site is compliant?
Start with the free EAA Sentinel scan: a real browser analyses up to 3 pages of your site and returns a 0-100 score with the most severe issues in about a minute. The full report (€49 one-time) extends the analysis to up to 50 pages, with every issue and fix instructions. Automated analysis detects 30-40% of WCAG issues — the machine-verifiable ones: full compliance also requires manual checks.

Prefer to start from the technical check? Accessibility check for online pharmacies

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