Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing by online pharmacies 'reckless'

Conclusion Worryingly, most of the online pharmacies had no evidence of the registration required by current UK and European legislation. This could be because some of the operators were based outside Europe – but regardless of where they are based, they are still subject to UK legislation if selling to the UK public. The study raises concerns about the effectiveness of current UK legislation and the regulation of companies selling antibiotics over the internet. This research does have some limitations, however: Google and Yahoo searches are not identical when different browsers are used or when searches are performed at different times. This means other websites might have been identified at a different time. Illegal sellers might change their name frequently to remain operational, so the same seller might have been identified more than once in this search under different names. The researchers did not proceed to payment in their investigation of the sellers, so extra information on safety or prescribing might have been missed. Websites without information about requiring a prescription might have asked for one at a later stage or refused to prescribe antibiotics. Aside from the clear safety issues, buying antibiotics online without a prescription can contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, where antibiotics are no longer effective against infections. If you think you may need antibiotics, get advice from your GP or pharmacist. Your G...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Medical practice Source Type: news