Drugs on the 'Net: safe or suspect?

Booming business...

U.S. sales of drugs, vitamins and personal care products were estimated to reach $180 billion in 1999. This is five times the total sales of books and music, two of the most successful online retail products so far. Due to an aging consumer population and the increasing number of prescriptions written in 1999 (a 15% increase), prescription drugs are one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. retailing.

...and FDA investigations

You can imagine why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is concerned. The borderless territory of cyberspace is not conducive to regulation. This means that consumers can log onto sites from other countries that have different prescription standards, as well as U.S. sites that have chosen to be less than scrupulous.

The state of Kansas recently filed suit against a number of online pharmacies after conducting a sting operation investigating the sale of Viagra. After placing an order, a 16-year-old boy received his package in the mail even though he filled out a preliminary questionnaire stating his age.

On its own website, the FDA advises consumers to consult with health care professionals before ordering prescription medications from any Internet site and that not doing so may lead to serious and even life-threatening risks, including:

• Dangerous drug interactions
• Unknown or impure ingredients in the drugs
• Sale of unapproved drugs

The World Health Organization is also working on guidelines for consumers to help evaluate websites offering health and drug information.

Convenient and economical? Sometimes.

For over 20 years, mail order pharmacies have provided a valuable service to those who can't leave their homes easily and have no immediate need for the goods they are purchasing. Online services offer you this convenience but also provide some additional features and value.

• Convenience
• Many sites are set up as information portals, combining commerce and content in an effort to bid for your loyalty. Here's what you might find:
  • Medical information on a variety of illnesses
  • Online question and answer services with a guaranteed 24-hour response from a trained pharmacist
  • A drug interaction checker that allows you to confirm whether there might be a dangerous interaction between any of the drugs you are currently taking and a new prescribed medication
• Cost
• Online drugstores have lower overhead costs and they can pass some of these savings on to the consumer. All good online pharmacies have prices listed and you can easily do some comparison shopping before ordering. But if you need your medication immediately, most of your cost savings will probably be eliminated. Next day service can run as high as $10 and two-day service can be about half that. However, if you are refilling a prescription or perhaps buying staple goods such as shampoo or shaving cream, waiting the three to five days for regular business delivery can provide significant cost savings.
• The best of both worlds
• An alternative to this delay is the convenience of shopping with a major national chain that has both a real world location and a website. While you still have to make a trip to the store to pick up the medication in person, you can place your order over the Internet, thus eliminating that awkward waiting around time while the pharmacist fills the prescription.

Trouble in paradise?

Some customers are delighted that they can cut out one more time-consuming chore and the annoyance of waiting in line, but others are not happy with the current services. "I thought I could get my allergy medication on the Internet," says John Wilkinson, a busy consultant who is often on the road, "but it wasn't saving me any time. The servers were always busy, and I ran into some programming errors. I think I'll wait until they have perfected it a little more."

The mixed consumer response is normal for a new service, so if your experience with some of the new websites is not optimal, don't write it off completely. With the amount of money at stake in prescription sales, the future of online drugstores is virtually clear, and in a very short while your headache medicine may be just a click away.

FDA tips to for buying health products online

• Check with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy at http://www.nabp.net or call 847-698-6227 to determine whether a website is a licensed pharmacy in good standing.
• Don't buy from sites that offer to prescribe a prescription drug for the first time without a physical exam, sell a prescription drug without a prescription, or sell drugs not approved by the FDA.
• Don't do business with sites that have no access to a registered pharmacist to answer questions.
• Avoid sites that do not identify with whom you are dealing and do not provide a U.S. address and phone number to contact if there's a problem.
• Don't purchase from foreign websites at this time because generally it will be illegal to import the drugs bought from these sites, the risks are greater, and there is little the U.S. government can do if you run into problems.
• Beware of sites that advertise a "new cure" for a serious disorder or a quick cure-all for a wide range of ailments.
• Be careful of sites that use impressive-sounding terminology to disguise a lack of good science or those that claim the government, the medical profession, or research scientists have conspired to suppress a product.
• Steer clear of sites that include undocumented case histories claiming amazing results.
• Talk to your health care professional before using any medications for the first time.