BMJ  2007;334:14-15 (6 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.39063.418391.68

feature

Clicking for pills

Graham Easton, general practitioner and journalist

1 Ealing, London

Gp.easton@virgin.net

With more and more people buying prescription only drugs over the internet, how can doctors help to protect their patients from the risks of internet pharmacy? Graham Easton investigates

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

There's something shady about buying medicines over the internet—pushy emails offering budget Viagra and a bigger penis, or hairless men doing faceless deals for baldness drugs. If you're after cut price, stigmatised, or unauthorised medicines, cyberspace is the place. And just like a drug deal in a dark alley, it's a risky business. Who are you dealing with? Exactly what are you buying? If anything goes wrong, have you got a leg to stand on? But such easy access also has obvious benefits, which is why more and more people are willing to take the risk and internet pharmacy is growing fast. So what should doctors know about this new online market, and how can we protect our patients from the possible pitfalls?

The first point to make is that not all internet pharmacy sites are dodgy. Legitimate online pharmacies are regulated in the same way as high street pharmacies—pharmacists . . . [Full text of this article]


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Are we doing enough?
Dr.David Richard Musa
bmj.com, 8 Jan 2007 [Full text]
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