- Online pharmacies risk lives
- Lack of regulation
- Easy access to medications
A prominent pharmacist asserts that the ease with which prescription-only medications can be purchased from online pharmacies endangers the lives of patients.
We purchased a total of 1,600 different prescription-only pills by inadvertently submitting false information.
As mandated by the General Pharmaceutical Council, additional inspections are necessary for the online sale of certain medications.
Former Royal Pharmaceutical Society chair and chemist Thorrun Govind compares the situations described in the “wild west” of online pharmacy shopping.
She states that the current recommendation is for pharmacies to be robust but to do so in their own manner, and that patients have died under the current system.
Numerous individuals prefer online pharmacies due to their convenience. To authorize prescription-only medications, these establishments must staff a certified pharmacist prescriber.
Parents of a woman who perished in 2020 from an accidental overdose of online-purchased medications are among those advocating for stricter regulations.
Katie Corrigan, a native of St Erth, Cornwall, had developed a dependency on analgesics subsequent to a neck injury.
Katie required assistance; she did not require additional medication, according to her mother, Christine Taylor.
Her primary care physician ceased dispensing the medication when she discovered she had been granted premature authorization to request new prescriptions and had been prescribed an excessive quantity.
Katie, 38, was able to purchase analgesics and painkillers from multiple online pharmacies without informing her primary care physician.
Katie’s inquest coroner verified that none of the pharmacies had contacted her primary care physician to determine whether or not the medication was safe for her. He stated in his concluding report that the safety controls were insufficient.
Christine desires additional background information regarding online pharmacies. “It’s far too easy – it’s people’s lives, and it’s a disaster waiting to happen,” she asserts.
Covert experimentation
Presently, the regulator, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), advises online prescribers to obtain “all the information they need” to ascertain the suitability and safety of medication for a specific patient.
In addition, it prohibits the online sale of “high-risk, habit-forming medications,” such as those that Katie Corrigan was able to purchase, in the absence of additional safeguards.
However, it appears that some of the medications she purchased are still readily available at online pharmacies.
We attempted to purchase medications that require a prescription from regulated online pharmacies.
Three restricted medications were chosen: an anxiolytic, an analgesic, and a sleep aid. Because taking them without medical supervision can be hazardous, we are withholding their names.
Twenty-one of the identified enterprises that sold one or more controlled substances were:
- Nine pharmacies carrying the anti-anxiety medication were located.
- The three pharmacies that sold us the anti-anxiety medication did so without conducting additional verifications, relying on the responses we provided to an online questionnaire.
- We were able to acquire a potentially lethal quantity of the anti-anxiety medication in total.
- The analgesic was procured from nine pharmacies in accordance with online questionnaires.
- In a similar fashion, we acquired the sedative from fourteen pharmacies.
- However, thirteen online pharmacies that offered at least one of these medications declined to do business with us unless we provided certain medical records, evidence of prior prescription from a physician, or authorization to contact our primary care physician for additional safety verifications.
Our order was refunded in full by two pharmacies subsequent to their evaluation of the questionnaire responses.
Furthermore, indications were discovered regarding the sale of potentially hazardous and addictive medications. Such as benzodiazepines and antidepressants, through the utilisation of online questionnaires.
An email was received from an online pharmacy informing us that our shopping container contained “something marvellous” and urging us to “buy before time runs out.” The email referenced an addictive painkiller. The regulator, which has the authority to disqualify a chemist from its register, prohibits the use of this language.
Five of the pharmacies that supplied us with products also provided us with contact information and additional safety details in follow-up emails, should we have any inquiries or concerns.
Our drugstore disclaimers encouraged us to check our primary care physician before buying.
“Uncertain guidance”
In July, a woman who wished to remain anonymous purchased a prescription-only weight loss medication by providing fraudulent information in a questionnaire regarding her weight, which was approximately double of the truth.
The woman reported that she was requested to provide identification by presenting an image of her driver’s licence. However, no proof of her weight was requested.
Without conducting any additional assessments to verify the drug’s suitability prior to its dispatch.
She stated, “After taking it for a few days, I felt terrible. I was extremely exhausted, unable to eat, and essentially ceased to function.”
“Your path to wealth begins here – don’t wait, get your free Webull shares.”
If I had had to show my weight, I doubt I would have been supplied the drug.
Unlike black market sellers, GPhC-regulated online pharmacies employ certified pharmacists and prescribers.
They are required to conduct risk assessments to ascertain which medicines can be sold online safely. And if they are found to be engaging in hazardous practices, the regulator may take action.
However, according to Ms. Govind, the regulator’s guidance is overly imprecise and fails to specify which tests online pharmacies ought to perform.
She explains that this has resulted in such variation, with some online pharmacies requiring verifications such as video consultations. While others appear to allow you to pay simply by clicking on the desired medication.
Regulatory Action on Online Pharmacies
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society describes the findings as “concerning” and demands that regulators address instances of egregious professional conduct.
In 2022, the GPhC issued updated guidance subsequent to discovering that hundreds of its investigations pertaining to the permissibility of pharmacies’ operations were specifically focused on online pharmacies.
In a statement, it conveyed the expectation for pharmacy owners to conduct risk assessments. Determine which medications are safe for online distribution and identify significant or regular pharmaceutical requests.
“We have made it clear that medications susceptible to abuse, overuse, or misuse, such as sedatives and opioids, should not be sold online unless additional safeguards have been implemented,” said a spokesperson.
Regulatory measures have been implemented against online pharmacies that failed to meet professional standards. In certain instances, ‘high-risk, habit-forming’ medications were distributed to customers based on responses to an online questionnaire.
