UK warning on Internet Rx drugs

A report from Scotland's Edinburgh University has identified 35 web sites which offer prescription drugs to UK residents without making proper checks to ensure that the person ordering the medicines has a prescription. The researchers found that half of the Internet drug sellers offered prescribable products with most of these either not demanding a physician's approval or accepting a copy which could easily be forged, such as a scanned copy by e-mail.

However, by refusing to proceed with the on-line purchases, the Scottish team were not able to find out if the products on offer were genuine or counterfeits. The agents being advertised included the opioid tramadol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs naproxen and celcoxib, the UK public broadcaster, the BBC reported.