Patients who buy drugs over the internet cannot be sure what they are getting and some may have no active ingredient while others are potentially fatal, a report by the The European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM) said.
Many websites sell drugs direct to patients without a prescription or consultation with a doctor and this is the most dangerous form of online purchasing, warns the report entitled The Counterfeiting Superhighway.
Earlier this week it was revealed 26-year-old Selena Walrond, from Croydon in South London, died after taking banned slimming pills she bought online. She was 5ft 3in tall and weighed 15 stone. A coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death saying she meant only to lose weight.
The report reveals 62 per cent of medicines purchased online are fake or substandard, including drugs for heart disease, lung disease, mental health and neurological disorders.
Following in-depth analysis of over one hundred online pharmacies, commonly purchased prescription-only medicines were ordered online by investigators.
All medicines were delivered without requiring the sight of a prescription which is illegal and presents a serious threat to public health, the report said.
The findings include:
• 95.6% of online pharmacies researched are operating illegally
• 94% of websites do not have a named, verifiable pharmacist
• Over 90% of websites supply prescription-only medicines without a prescription
• 86% of online 'pharmacy approval' stamps are fake
Whilst only 38% of the medicines received were found to be genuine branded medicines, 16% of these had been illegally imported and a third of them did not have patient information leaflets, which in itself is also illegal and potentially dangerous to consumers' health.
The report said, on a number of occasions, a life-saving cardiovascular medicine was supplied with a free sample of a drug used to treat impotence
Dr Ian Banks, President, European Men's Health Forum: "I was alarmed to see that a number of the 'medicines' delivered were accompanied by free, unsolicited tablets, provided without any medical assessment. Far from rewarding consumers with 'bonus pills', this practice shows that these unscrupulous, criminal online drug traders appear willing to potentially risk the health and well-being of their customers."
Among a number of recommendations, the report suggests search engines should remove web pages from search results which advertise counterfeit medicines.
This tactic has already proved successful in preventing people from accessing child pornography websites, so surely similar success can be achieved with combating illegal online pharmacies.
Jim Thomson, Chair, EAASM: "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".
