A recent investigation into Pfizer’s controversial advertising campaign warning of the dangers of counterfeit drugs has concluded that the pharmaceutical company did not breach the advertising code. The Advertising Standards Authority, the watchdog for the advertising industry, received 64 complaints about the campaign, which featured a man pulling a dead rat out of his mouth. Pfizer decided to use a rat to get their point home after it was revealed that some counterfeit medications contained rat poison.
The adverts were shown in cinemas nationwide and while the ASA acknowledged that some viewers might be upset or offended by the images, the purpose of the advert was important enough to make using “hard-hitting” content justifiable. The ASA was influenced by the fact that the advert was only shown before films rated 15 or above, meaning that the number of young people who saw it was minimised.
Pfizer have said that they believe between 50 and 90% of all prescription-only medications sold via the internet are either of poor quality or counterfeit but estimate that this year, 330,000 men will buy prescription-only medication illegally over the internet. The ruling by the ASA that the issue is sufficiently important to merit such a shocking image comes a few days after a survey by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain revealed that a quarter of GPs had treated patients experiencing side-effects from medications purchased illegally over the internet.
If you are considering buying medication over the internet then there are two simple rules that you need to follow to ensure that the medication is appropriate for you and you will end up receiving the genuine article.
1. Make sure that you have a consultation with a doctor before you are able to purchase any medication. Avoid websites that allow you to purchase medication before a doctor has reviewed your medical details as this practice is illegal and carries obvious dangers.
2. Make sure that the medication is being dispensed by a licensed pharmacy. All pharmacies in the UK must be registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. The RPSGB has an online database where you can check the registration details of the pharmacy dispensing your medication. We provide a link to this online database from the Who We Are page of the main online clinic website.