Majority Of Online Pharmacies 'Illegal'

Most on-line pharmacies are operating illegally and breaching drug regulations, it was reported today.

Fears are being raised over the number of fake drugs being sold in the internet, as a new report suggests that 62 per cent of medicines purchased online are "fake or substandard".

The findings were uncovered by The European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM) and released on Wednesday (July 2). Their report "The Counterfeiting Superhighway - the growing threat of online pharmacies" was announced at their annual conference in London, UK.

The experts bought products from over one hundred online pharmacies. At no point was a prescription needed. "This is illegal and presents a serious threat to public health," they say.

They analysed the drugs, including those intended to treat serious conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, neurological disorders and mental health conditions, and found that just 38 per cent were genuine. Of these, 16 per cent were illegal non-EU imports and 33 per cent did not come with patient information leaflets.

Overall, 95.6 per cent of online pharmacies researched were operating illegally, and 94 per cent did not have a named, verifiable pharmacist.

Because of the rapid growth of illegal online pharmacies, there is now a higher risk that fake medicines will reach "untrained, unsuspecting, vulnerable consumers" and have "potentially lethal outcomes", say the authors.

Jim Thomson of the EAASM said: "The report findings are shocking and the story it tells demands action. Consumers are susceptible to fake medicines which could harm their health, and in extreme cases be deadly.

"The EAASM calls on all stakeholders including search engines, credit card companies, shipping companies, patient groups and regulators, to take action and halt this dangerous trend."