Topic: Surfers buy medicines online

[Clive]

Twenty-five per cent of online shoppers in the UK either have or would be prepared to buy prescription drugs over the web, according to a survey.

According to WebCredible's findings, more people would buy prescription drugs online than would buy cars or garden sheds.

Though the practice is not always illegal, it is unregulated, and there is a big black market for unlicensed pharmaceuticals as the high levels of spam offering medications in circulation demonstrate.

Trenton Moss, director of Webcredible said: "That fact that more consumers seem to be prepared to buy prescription drugs online than simple DIY items like wallpaper and garden sheds is a worrying finding and pharmaceutical organisations must use the internet to advise consumers on the dangers of this."

The survey also found that 84 per cent of the 1,200 respondents had bought books online and 63 per cent had bought clothes on the web.

"For companies dealing in products like books and clothes it is crucial that they capitalise on the consumer's willingness to purchase online by making their site as visible and usable as possible to maximise sales ahead of their competitors," Moss continued.

A similar survey published yesterday by uSwitch found that 41 per cent of people had bought books online, and 36 per cent had bought clothes over the net.

www.webcredible.co.uk
www.uswitch.com

[Simon]

I don't think I'd ever risk that.  You've got no idea what's in the stuff, and it could do you more harm than good. 

[Clive]

I haven't heard of anyone dying from taking online pharmaceuticals so I wonder if all the scaremongering is caused by drug companies trying to keep prices up.   

[Sandra]

I buy my dogs prescription drugs through a UK online pharmacy.
I get 40 days worth at a time that works out at £1-50 per day, including £1 postage for special delivey.
I was paying the same amount for exactly the same drugs in the same packages for 30 days supply from the vet I use.
By law a vet cant refuse to give you a prescription for an animal thats registered with him or charge for writing the prescription.
All they can insist on is a 6 monthly check up, which I want Charlie to have anyway 

The last time I got a prescription for him, I get one with 5 repeats, I bought some worming tablets from the vets practice.
When I checked on the online vet pharmacy site that I use, the same make and size were approximately two thirds of the price and as they arent prescription ones, the next time I need any I will add them to my regular order for Charlie.

[David]

  Good for you Sandra,as long as you know who you are dealing with and have a history with them,it will always be cheaper,just dont go online to get the cat neutered.........

[Sandra]

Its ok David, they are just building a new house across the road, I am sure I could find a couple of bricks there if I needed to castrate a dog, a cat or a nasty guy 

[mistybear]

The good old two brick, do it yourself castration, could have done that with Nemo. I found an online "National Desexing Network" site, that offers cheap desexing certificates, but the only draw back is that not all vets participate in this. The closest vet to us who is a participant, is 50k's away. Luckily we have a Cat Defence Network just up the road and they offer even cheaper desexing costs.

I order a lot of my medications online, and save quite a bit. These are Australian pharmacies so there isn't any risks and my doctor has faxed prescriptions to them, but she is all for it because our local pharmacy bought out all the other local pharmacies and his prices, as you would expect, are a little over the top.