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'Don't buy drugs on internet' says BMA
Medicine bought on the internet could be fake and potentially deadly, the British Medical Association (BMA) warned the public yesterday.
It singled out erectile dysfunction tablets as one of the treatments most commonly bought online, and called on the government to make Viagra more readily available on the NHS to slow down the trade in counterfeit drugs.
BMA chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum said that the organisation had always been against the 'unfair system of permitting NHS treatment for some and not for others' which led many patients to buy online.
One problem with internet orders, according to Dr Meldrum, is that patients may not be getting hold of the named drug. 'You may be getting an inactive substance, or at worst a dangerous one,' he said.
He added that, as patients did not undergo a consultation with their GP, the underlying cause of their erectile problems would remain untreated. These can include diabetes or high blood pressure. The Times notes that pills bought without proper consultation may clash with other medicines that the patient may be taking, and that Viagra can be fatal to those with heart conditions.
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of science and ethics at the BMA, further outlined the problem, citing the example of fake online anti-malarial treatments which have led to a number of people dying from the deadly disease. 'On average, half of the drugs sold worldwide over the internet are counterfeit, and some of these counterfeit drugs have killed.'
Category: Healthcare
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