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Online drug availability concerns researchers
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According
to MUSC researchers, antibiotics are widely available for purchase on
the Internet without a prescription, despite efforts to control
antibiotic-resistant bacteria as a result of misuse of these drugs.
Using a keyword search of “purchase antibiotics without a prescription”
and “online” on the top two Internet search engines, Google and Yahoo,
MUSC researchers found 138 unique vendors selling drugs without a
prescription. Of those vendors, 36 percent sold antibiotics without a
prescription, a practice that is both illegal and potentially
dangerous, said MUSC Department of Family Medicine professor Arch G.
Mainous, III, Ph.D. Sixty-four percent provide an online diagnosis and
prescription without a physical exam or ongoing relationship with a
doctor, a practice that is considered inconsistent with appropriate
medical care.
“We recommend expanding efforts to control antibiotic resistance in our
communities, beyond educating physicians about when to prescribe
antibiotics,” Mainous said. “We need education directed to patients and
the community, as well as increased regulation and enforcement of
existing regulations.”
Penicillins (94 percent), macrolides (96 percent), fluoroquinolones (62
percent) and cephalospoins (57 percent) were found on the majority of
these sites. Nearly all (99 percent) the antibiotics found were shipped
to the United States with a mean delivery time of eight days. The
study, titled Availability of Antibiotics for Purchase Without a
Prescription on the Internet, was published in the September/October
2009 issue of the Annals of Family Medicine
(http://www.annfammed.org).
Vendors who sold antibiotics without a prescription were more likely to
sell in quantities greater than a single course, and more likely to
take more than seven days for the antibiotics to reach the customer
than were vendors who required a medical interview. The authors suggest
these transactions would likely be used by individuals who store drugs
for future self-diagnosis and treatment.
Friday, Sept. 18, 2009
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