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Research News
February 23, 2004
Concerns About Online Pharmacies
Online pharmacies are attracting a growing number of patients to their sites because they may save consumers both time and money, but they are controversial. Investigators led by Constance Fung, MD, an HSR&D researcher and part of the VA Greater Los Angles Healthcare System, conducted a literature review of more than 130 articles about online pharmacies to examine ethical and safety issues surrounding this controversy. Results of their study show that there are three main types of online pharmacies: 1) Independent Internet companies with no physical pharmacy sites; 2) "clicks and mortar" pharmacies, meaning online branches of major pharmacy chains; and 3) sites representing partnerships among independent neighborhood pharmacies. Benefits of some online pharmacies include accessibility for those with limited mobility, reduced costs for some drugs, and anonymity that may encourage online users to ask questions they might be reluctant to ask in person. However, some online pharmacies may pose risks, such as: dispensing prescription-only medications without a prescription; ordering of prescription drugs from foreign pharmacies that do not comply with FDA requirements, and thus may be subpotent or counterfeit; and the reliance on "cyberdoctors" (online physicians) that do not actually see their patients.
Dr. Fung urged physicians and pharmacists to consider "why their patients would rather receive medication without a prescription, face-to-face consultations, or a visit to their local pharmacy, and what legitimate and legal practices the medical community can adopt from online pharmacies to improve the physician-pharmacist-patient relationship."
Fung CH, Woo HE, Asch SM. Controversies and legal issues in the prescribing and dispensing of medications over the Internet: A review of the literature. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2004 Feb;79(2):188-94.
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