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by Robert MacKay, Thursday, 16 April 2009 | Categories: General Health

A worrying poll amongst GPs has revealed that 1 in 4 have treated patients who experienced adverse reactions to medication purchased over the internet. The poll was commissioned by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, which is growing increasingly concerned about the activities of illegal pharmacies and clinics operating over the internet.

The numbers of those purchasing medication online, from both legal and illegal clinics, is rising annually; 2 million people in the UK are now believed to regularly purchase them online. As well as the 25% of doctors who had treated patients who had bought online, a further 8% of GPs said that they suspected patients were experiencing the side-effects of a medication bought online.

Despite lifestyle medications like Reductil, Xenical and Viagra only being available with a doctor’s prescription, many illegal pharmacies are selling them without consultations with a proper doctor, therefore putting patients’ lives at risk. There is also a massive trade in counterfeit medications being sold for temptingly low prices, though clients have no idea what they are actually consuming – some batches of Viagra have been found to contain cement and blue paint! Medical regulators have said that embarrassment often leads people to buy medicines from disreputable sources.

The RPSGB runs a logo scheme to identify legitimate online pharmacies and the director of policy at the society, David Pruce, advised only buying medicine over the internet when the site is using a legimate “bricks and mortar” pharmacy.

So what do we, an online clinic, think about this? We want above all a more recognisable way for patients to know that they are using a legitimate organisation. We have extremely strict policies over the doctors we employ, how we prescribe, the pharmacy we use and the sourcing of our medication. We always err on the side of caution. But we are in the minority and illegal clinics are giving the whole industry a bad name. Worst of all, most patients don’t know how to check the credentials of the internet medical companies. There needs to be far clearer guideline to help patients when they want to get medication over the internet. They are going to do so anyway, so the regulators or an industry body need to clearly show them how to do so safely.

A few tips:

  • Is the pharmacy dispensing the medication actually legitimate? Get the address and check it against the registration details held by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain here:
  • Most life-style medications are only available with a doctor’s prescription. If you can buy it without a prescription, it’s going to be counterfeit. We always give the name of the doctor who approves the prescription and this is a General Medical Council requirement.
  • If the clinic is offering you an online prescription, make sure they provide you with the General Medical Council registration number of the prescribing doctor.
  • If an online clinic is publishing prices of their prescription medications before you’ve had a consultation, then they are operating illegally. This is deemed a promotion and is against UK law.
  • “Generic” versions of medications, ludicrously cheap pills – you’re probably being sold talcum power and speed cooked up in the bedroom of a teenager in Southeast Asia.
  • Where is the company based? It is better to stick with a company registered in the UK so you know that it is being properly regulated.




 
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