Last weekend, I wrote about the dangers associated with
purchasing prescription drugs from Canada and countries outside the U.S.
You also need to be very concerned and cautious about purchasing drugs online.
A new report by the Associated Press (AP) says, “With the help of unscrupulous doctors and pharmacists, hundreds of Web sites dispense prescription narcotics to customers in exchange for nothing more than a credit card number.”
Internet access has resulted in a reduction of people searching for doctors and the growth of rogue pharmacies online. The prescriptions they offer and fill are highly risky.
According to the AP, “the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says about 95 percent of products sold by online pharmacies are controlled substances. By comparison, controlled substances amount to roughly 11 percent of the dosages dispensed by legitimate pharmacies.”
The AP reports a DEA official testified before Congress in May, specifically outlining how illegal online pharmacies operate. The DEA’s Joseph Rannazzisi told a Congressional committee that the online sites contact doctors, usually ones that are in debt, retired, or who are after additional income. These doctors look over questionnaires filled out online by customers, then write out the prescriptions. The doctors are paid between $10 and $25 for each prescription they write. Pharmacies struggling economically are convinced by the web sites to fill out the prescriptions and ship to customers.
The illegal online pharmacies ignore the requirement of a doctor-patient relationship and certification from state boards. The AP reports the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse identified 581 Web sites that offer controlled prescription drugs, compared with 492 in 2004.
Illegal online pharmacies help perpetuate addictions. Customers get confused, unaware of what they are receiving.
Here is the entire
AP article. Sara Zeman of the Social Security Administration authored a piece entitled, “Regulation of Online Pharmacies: a Case for Cooperative Federalism.” Zeman wrote about the risks of online pharmacies:
”Patients who obtain their prescriptions through online pharmacies place themselves at risk of drug-related injury. While injuries can arise regardless of whether a patient obtains drugs through the Internet or through in-person visits to a local clinic and pharmacy, the risks can be amplified when prescription drug use is arranged exclusively through online pharmacies. Patients may suffer physical injury or harm as a result of taking improperly prepared drugs or drugs that are not appropriate for their conditions. They may also suffer harm from receiving poor quality medical or pharmaceutical advice, not learning of alternative therapies, or not receiving physical examinations or follow-up care. The fault for these injuries lies with various parties: Patients may misrepresent their medical histories, physicians may not deliver bona fide medical consultations, or pharmacists may not require valid prescriptions.”As I have stated before, buyer beware.
