Hundreds of prescription drugs are available to buy illegally over the
internet, according to a report by monitoring company Envisional.
The firm says so-called 'Online pharmacies' are exposing consumers to
huge risks and are creating problems for pharmaceutical companies whose
products are being sold on unregulated sites.

Top ten web drugs
Viagra (erectile dysfunction)
Xenical (weight loss)
Phentermine (weight loss)
Meridia (weight loss)
Bontril (weight loss)
Propecia (hair loss)
Prozac (antidepressant)
Celebrex (osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis)
Ionamin (weight loss)
Adipex (weight loss)
The drugs are being sold to consumers in the UK and around the world
without any attention being paid to local regulations.

Many sites will deliver drugs direct to consumers, without
prescription.

Envisional says all types of prescription drugs are being sold but most
popular are drugs for sexual dysfunction like Viagra, for hair and
weight loss, pregnancy prevention, depression and sleeping disorders.

The research showed it was also easy to obtain performance-enhancing
drugs used by bodybuilders and athletes, including banned substances
like EPO.

Huge market

It is estimated that the market for online prescription drugs will be
US$4.4bn.

The report says consumers are not properly aware of the dangers and
often advertisements on the site say the drugs are safe.

The pharmacy and prescription system exists for a reason

Brian Earle
Viagra, for instance, should not be given to men who are taking certain
types of heart medication.

The problem is unquantifiable - because there are hundreds of sites and
this is growing every day.

Envisional is calling for international legislation to tackle the
problem.

Chief executive Brian Earle, chief executive of Envisional, said that
most online pharmacies selling drugs without prescription only did so
to overseas customers - thus avoiding jurisdiction in their own
country.

He said: "The pharmacy and prescription system exists for a reason - to
protect consumers from harmful side-effects that they are not trained
to understand.

"If a doctor tells a patient that he cannot be prescribed Viagra
because of a weak heart or other medical condition, that patient can
easily obtain the drug over the internet.

"There was a proposal that the US Government impose fines on websites
that operate in this way but further investigation is certainly needed.

"In the UK, advertising prescription drugs direct to consumers is
illegal but, owing to the international nature of the Internet, bodies
like the government's Medical Control Agency (MCA) are often powerless
to step in."

Mr Earle stressed that there were perfectly good pharmacies selling
online who insisted on a prescription before selling drugs.

posted http://www.onlinepharmacies.name