By: Lanny Boutin
As the Web grows, more of us will see it as a convenient place to purchase health products. "The proportion of users using the Internet for health related purposes has increased dramatically in the last few years" notes Dr. Earl Berger, managing director of the Berger Population Health Monitor, a semi-annual syndicated survey on health.
"In 1999 between 20 and 25 percent of respondents said they had used the Internet for health-related purposes in the last 6 months; in 2000 that figure rose to 30 percent," he reports. "In 1999, only 2 percent said they had bought something health-related over the Net in the previous month; in 2000, 8 percent said they had."
Playing With Fire
There are an estimated 400 on-line sites selling prescription drugs. Some are part of existing pharmacies which require valid prescriptions before they ship drugs Many specialize in "lifestyle drugs" like Xenical (weight loss), Zyban (smoking cessation), Propecia (hair loss) and Viagra, however, and skirt the rules by issuing the prescription as well.
 |
|
Buying drugs on the Web is quick, private and convenient. It is also illegal and potentially deadly. |
For a "consolation" fee, usually $40-75 dollars US, they have one of their doctors evaluate an on-line questionnaire to determine if the drug is right for you. You don't even need to see your doctor.
Buying drugs on the Web is quick, private and convenient. It is also illegal and potentially deadly.
The state of Kansas took on the on-line pharmacies, after a 16-year old boy bought Viagra on-line, without lying about his age. Viagra is said to be one of the new drugs of choice at US raves.
Xenicals, another hot seller on the Net, "is in a class of it's own" notes Greg Eberhart, the Registrar at the Alberta College of Pharmacists. "It's unique because it inhibits one of the enzymes present in the gut from breaking down fat into an absorbable format. So when a person eats fat, not all of it is absorbed."
But it's only recommended for obese patients; people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher. "This drug prevents a type of nutrient important to body function from entering the body. It would be contra-indicated for many people, including those who are Anorexic or Bulimic.
"It is not a drug you can just say 'here take it home'. It requires knowledge at the point of prescribing and receiving. It also requires support and monitoring during therapy."
|
|
"On-line prescriptions are not legal in Canada," notes Janet Cooper, Director of Practice Development at the Canadian Pharmacists Association |
Without a prescription
"On-line prescriptions are not legal in Canada," notes Janet Cooper, Director of Practice Development at the Canadian Pharmacists Association.
"It's also illegal to bring schedule F drugs, or prescriptions drugs into the country," notes Rod Neske supervisor in the health products and food branch, at Health Canada.
But because drug websites typically maintain a low profile and due to the thousands of parcels Canada Customs deals with daily, the drugs often make it in. As one Customer Care Representative at an on-line site offering prescription drugs and on-line consultations noted, "There are occasional delays due to the Canadian Customs process, but we have successfully shipped thousands of orders to Canada."
The FDA and World Health Organisation have managed to close down some of these sites, but typically, they just open up the next day under a new URL.
Alberta is the first jurisdiction in Canada to make it illegal to practice telemedicine without first registering with the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons. "We wanted to establish the rules before a problem arose," notes John Swiniarski Register at the College. Physicians disregarding new bylaws outlawing telemedicine can now be charged with practicing medicine without a license.
Buyer Beware
"A lot of these sites are not American," notes Cooper, "but offshore, in Asia where many counterfeit and black market drugs are manufactured. You may not even be getting Viagra, or you may not be getting a 50-milligram tablet. You don't know if it's been contaminated, or if it has no active ingredient at all"
"Prescription drugs are on prescription for a reason. When you buy from these sites you are totally bypassing the safety mechanisms that are there with your doctor and pharmacist".
Eberhart agrees. "All drugs have potential adverse effects, interactions with other drugs or foods and contra-indications with certain disease states. When you buy them over the Net, the care and knowledge is not always delivered with the drug"
"Medications by themselves have no value. It's the knowledge that goes with them which makes them work. Whether you buy a drug at the pharmacy or over the Internet you must get the body of knowledge that goes with that drug or you are walking a tightrope."
Lanny Boutin is a freelance writer living in Gibbons, Alberta. She can be reached at www.ecn.ab.ca/~lanny
Do you know someone who has bought prescriptions drugs over the net? Does the convenience of buying drugs on the Web outweigh the safety concerns? Straight Goods wants your opinion. Please send your experiences to thegoods@straightgoods.com
Sites to check out:
The Canadian Pharmacists Association, www.cdnpharm.ca
Federal Drug Administration, www.fda.gov/cder (under Other New Pages)
Annals of Internal Medicine, www.annals.org/issues/...
Austrian survey on the Hazards of Internet Prescription Drugs, khoahoc.vnn.vn/yduoc/view_news...
Posted: March 12, 2001
[ Front Page ]
