Illegal online pharmacies dealing in fake drugs

Sixty two percent of medicines purchased over the internet are either substandard or fake, according to a new report.

The watchdog Irish Medicines Board (IMB) in 2007 seized nearly 200,000 illegally imported tablets and capsules, including anabolic steroids, anti-impotence drugs and weight loss products.

From Independent.ie:

The report, based on an analysis of more than 100 online pharmacies, examined the medicines which were delivered without need of prescription. It revealed:

- 95.6pc of online pharmacies researched are operating illegally.

- 94pc of websites do not have a named, verifiable pharmacist.

- Over 90pc of websites supply prescription-only medicines without a prescription.

- 86pc of online 'pharmacy approval' stamps are fake.

- There is a three in five chance of receiving a fake or substandard medicine if you purchase online.

- Only 38pc of the medicines received were found to be genuine, branded medicines, 16pc of these were illegal non-EU imports (genuine products, imported into the EU illegally from a non-EU country), and 33pc did not have patient information leaflets.

The findings are contained in the report of the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM).