Assessing website pharmacy drug quality: safer than you think?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Internet-sourced drugs are often considered suspect. The World Health Organization reports that drugs from websites that conceal their physical address are counterfeit in over 50 percent of cases; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) works with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) to regularly update a list of websites likely to sell drugs that are illegal or of questionable quality.

Methods and findings

This study examines drug purchasing over the Internet, by comparing the sales of five popular drugs from a selection of websites stratified by NABP or other ratings. The drugs were assessed for price, conditions of purchase, and basic quality. Prices and conditions of purchase varied widely. Some websites advertised single pills while other

SUBMITTER: Bate R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2921371 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature