Online Pharmacies and Prescriptions

Marv Shepherd, PhD
 
Earlier this week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce finished the mark up of the “Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008” (H.R. 6353).  The bill addresses a major safety issue associated with online pharmacies—the sale of controlled substances over the Internet without a valid prescription.

One of the Partnership’s core principles for drugs safety is that we must regulate online pharmacies. We believe that no one should be able to purchase any type of prescription drug, not just controlled substances, over the Internet without a valid prescription. Prescription drugs are not safe for use without the supervision of a licensed healthcare practitioner—that is why these drugs should only be dispensed with a valid prescription.

Before a healthcare practitioner issues a prescription, he or she examines the patient to determine the appropriate treatment. Online pharmacies that don’t require a prescription or only ask customers to fill out a questionnaire before getting a prescription drug deny consumers the protection of an in-person meeting and provided by a licensed healthcare practitioner.

Consumers—such as the bill’s namesake—have died from purchasing drugs from online pharmacies that sold them without a prescription or through an online survey. These deaths may have been avoided if they had gone to their doctor to get a prescription for the drug instead of an online pharmacy.

Unfortunately, mandating prescriptions for drugs purchased online will not be enough to stop this public health threat. Internet drug peddlers will simply bridge the gap by creating and selling fake prescriptions. These unscrupulous online businesses will continue to sell whatever to whomever, as long as they are paid. If we truly want to avoid another deadly incident of failed online pharmacy safety, Congress needs to take this opportunity to further address the vulnerabilities threatening the safety of our prescription drugs.

Visit SafeMedicines.org to learn more about the dangers of unregulated online pharmacies.