Medication Access through the Internet: Legal and Safety Considerations for Pharmacists

2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-335
Author(s):  
Michael A. Veronin
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Drug Regimen ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Medication Access ◽  
Level Of Activity ◽  
Internet Pharmacies ◽  
Safety Considerations

Today, it is common for patients to order prescription drugs via their home computer through an Internet pharmacy. Because of this, pharmacists may be faced with having to evaluate a patient's drug regimen that may include foreign-made imported drugs obtained through the Internet. This article addresses major issues involving drug importation via this mechanism. Topics discussed include types of Internet pharmacies, patient access to prescription drugs, self-medication, legal issues, and potential health risks. The current level of activity of Internet drug sales has reached record volume and does not appear to be subsiding; pharmacists should be aware of these emerging influences on their practice.

USABILITY INTERNET-PHARMACIES SITES

2020 ◽  
pp. 10-14
Author(s):  
Chudnov A.A. ◽  
Umarov S.Z.
Keyword(s):  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Storage Conditions ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Electronic Prescription ◽  
Anal Ysis ◽  
Modern Development ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Internet Pharmacies

The modern development of information technology provides the opportunity to use them in many areas of life, which also include medicine and pharmacy. The introduction of technologies such as an electronic prescription system, drug labeling, creates the prereq-uisites for the remote provision of services. Recently, legislative changes have legalized the distance trad-ing of OTC drugs. In this regard, soon the supply chain of the drug to the end user may include a mini-mum number of professionals. Thus, in these condi-tions, the role of information that users can receive via the Internet is significantly increasing. Such a term as the "usability" of the site, or its ease of use, appeared back in 1998 and every year is of increasing importance. In relation to online pharmacies, the usa-bility assessment is especially relevant in terms of both general functionality, which is typical for all services selling products via the Internet, and features specific to Internet pharmacies only. On May 8, 2020, an anal-ysis of the "usability" of 20 sites of pharmacy organi-zations was conducted. Some advantages were high-lighted (putting information on the quality of goods (declarations, certificates), warnings, contraindica-tions and storage conditions in a separate block), as well as disadvantages (some clutter of the site with elements, the presence of blank pages and a fuzzy warning about prescription drugs).

scholarly journals ILLEGAL INTERNET PHARMACIES AS A THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH IN EUROPE

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (9) ◽  
pp. 2169-2174
Author(s):  
Nataliya O. Gutorova ◽  
Vitalii M. Pashkov ◽  
Oleksii S. Soloviov
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
National Level ◽  
Analytical Data ◽  
Black Market ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Internet Pharmacies

The aim: This article aims to raise awareness and stimulate serious discussion about the dangers of illegal Internet pharmacies for patient safety and public health, the necessity to improve legal instruments, and unite the efforts of governments, professional organizations, and civil society for combating this activity. Materials and methods: This study is based on the Medicrime Convention, empirical and analytical data of the WHO, Interpol, Europol, NABF, Directive 2011/62/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 8, 2011, the regulatory acts and juridical practice of Ukraine, experts interview of pharmacy practicians, analysis of websites. Totally 18 laws and papers, 34 court judgments, 50 websites were analyzed, six experts were interviewed. Dialectical, comparative, analytic, synthetic, system analyses and sociological research methods were used. Results: Illegal Internet pharmacies are widespread in Europe, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. This black market poses a severe threat to patient safety and public health as falsifying, substandard, and smuggled medicines are sold through these channels. Without any exception, all illegal pharmacies sell prescription drugs without any prescriptions. Regulatory and protective legal instruments at the national and international levels are insufficient to counter the Internet trade in medicines. Conclusions: The widespread proliferation of illegal Internet pharmacies in Europe requires European states to work together to protect patient safety and public health. A legal mechanism needs to be established to exchange information and combat illegal pharmaceutical activities on the Internet at the international level. At the national level, it is necessary to strengthen control over the wholesale of prescription medications to prevent them from entering the black market.

Internet Pharmacies

2011 ◽  
pp. 666-671
Author(s):  
Philip Rosson
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Customer Information ◽  
New Business ◽  
Internet Pharmacies ◽  
Uncertain Future ◽  
And Performance

The advent of Internet technology has affected the pharmaceutical industry in at least two ways. First, existing companies have implemented Internet solutions for efficiency and performance reasons. These solutions may convey benefits across the entire manufacturer—wholesaler—pharmacy supply chain (e.g., inventory tracking and management), or focus at one level (e.g., providing customer information from a pharmacy Web site). Second, new businesses have been established to capitalize on the opportunities made possible by Internet technology. The new businesses may be related to others, as in the case where storefront pharmacies have established online companies to expand their market scope. Two other new business types represent more radical change and are controversial. The first uses the Internet to deliver information about specific drugs through spam (unsolicited commercial or bulk e-mail). Relatively little is known about such pharmacies, although they account for a large and growing proportion of all spam (PRWeb, 2004). They often promote dubious products and cures, may not require a prescription, and actual delivery is not assured (Barrett, 2001). Some customers buy from such pharmacies in spite of these problems. Because there is a dearth of research on pharmacies using spam, and given that their ethics and standards are at best highly questionable, they are not considered here. A second type of pharmacy has gained prominence since 1999. The Internet pharmacies in question are start-ups that operate wholly online and have no connection to existing pharmacies. For the most part, these Internet pharmacies export prescription drugs from a lower cost country to one or more where higher costs prevail. In North America, many Internet pharmacies have sprung up in western Canada to supply drugs to U.S. consumers. International trade in prescription drugs is also seen elsewhere, again motivated by different price levels.1 The North America experience is discussed next. Canadian Internet pharmacies have achieved success since 1999, but face an uncertain future. Their emergence is traced below and the major points of controversy identified. The analysis reveals that the application of Internet technology in these pharmacies was quite straightforward. More problematic is the complex, political environment in which Internet pharmacies operate, and the fact that the strategy adopted challenges established legal and ethical standards. These issues are addressed in the final sections where the future of Internet pharmacies is examined.

Obesity Therapy: How and Why?

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Paccosi ◽  
Barbara Cresci ◽  
Laura Pala ◽  
Carlo Maria Rotella ◽  
Astrid Parenti
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Lifestyle Modification ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Obese Patients ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Pharmacological Management ◽  
Regulatory Standards ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Obesity Drugs

Background: Obesity represents the second preventable mortality cause worldwide, and is very often associated with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM). The first line treatment is lifestyle modification to weight-loss, but for those who fail to achieve the goal or have difficulty in maintaining achieved results, pharmacological treatment is needed. Few drugs are available today, because of their side effects. Objective: We aim to review actual pharmacological management of obese patients, highlighting differences between Food and Drug Administration - and European Medicine Agency-approved molecules, and pointing out self-medications readily obtainable and widely distributed. Methods: Papers on obesity, weight loss, pharmacotherapy, self- medication and diet-aid products were selected using Medline. Research articles, systematic reviews, clinical trials and meta-analyses were screened. Results: Anti-obesity drugs with central mechanisms, such as phentermine and lorcaserin, are available in USA, but not in Europe. Phentermine/topiramate and naltrexone/bupropion combinations are now available, even though the former is still under investigation from EMA. Orlistat, with peripheral mechanisms, represents the only drug approved for weight reduction in adolescents. Liraglutide has been approved at higher dose for obesity. Anti-obesity drugs, readily obtainable from the internet, include crude-drug products and supplements for which there is often a lack of compliance to national regulatory standards. Conclusion: Mechanisms of weight loss drugs include the reduction of energy intake or the increase in energy expenditure and sense of satiety as well as the decrease of hunger or the reduction in calories absorption. Few drugs are approved, and differences exist between USA and Europe. Moreover, herbal medicines and supplements often sold on the internet and widely used by obese patients, present a risk of adverse effects.

scholarly journals RESEARCH ON SELF MEDICATION: A HYPE OR A HOPE? A LITERATURE REVIEW.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Mythri Halappa
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Recent Trend ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractMedications are one of the most important tools in public health practice. Since the 1980s, self‑medication is of prime public health importance as World Health Organization, in order to reduce the burden on health care professionals changed some prescription drugs to be sold over the counter. Each drug has its own advantages & disadvantages. Hence, always they have to be taken with caution. Considering this a recent trend has increased in surveying the prevalence of self medication. Hence, this review critically evaluated the studies to put a light on basic concept of self medication.Key words: Self medication, Drug abuse, Self care, Substance abuse, Antibiotic usage. 

scholarly journals Legal Issues on the Internet

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen A. O'Rourke
Keyword(s):  
Legal Issues ◽  
The Internet

Neuroethics and Implanted Brain Machine Interfaces

2013 ◽  
pp. 351-365
Author(s):  
Ellen M. McGee
Keyword(s):  
Legal Issues ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Brain Machine Interfaces ◽  
Computer Interfaces ◽  
Scientific Organizations ◽  
Human Ability ◽  
Ethical And Legal Issues ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Radical Enhancement

Transformations of humans through advances in bioelectronics, nanotechnologies, and computer science are leading to hybrids of humans and machines. Future brain-machine interfaces will enable humans not only to be constantly linked to the Internet, and to cyber think, but will also enable technology to take information directly from the brain. Brain-computer interfaces, where a chip is implanted in the brain, will facilitate a tremendous augmentation of human capacities, including the radical enhancement of the human ability to remember and to reason, and to achieve immortality through cloning and brain downloading, or existence in virtual reality. The ethical and legal issues raised by these possibilities represent global challenges. The most pressing concerns are those raised by privacy and autonomy. The potential exists for control of persons, through global tracking, by actually “seeing” and “hearing” what the individual is experiencing, and by controlling and directing an individual’s thoughts, emotions, moods, and motivations. Public dialogue must be initiated. New principles, agencies, and regulations need to be formulated and scientific organizations, states, countries, and the United Nations must all be involved.

A Framework for Privacy Assurance and Ubiquitous Knowledge Discovery in Health 2.0 Data Mashups

Cyber Crime ◽  
2013 ◽  
pp. 263-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Hu ◽  
Liam Peyton
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Knowledge Discovery ◽  
Prescription Drugs ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Personal Data ◽  
Regulatory Compliance ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Privacy And Security ◽  
Health 2.0 ◽  
Share Data

Knowledge discovery is a critical component in improving health care. Health 2.0 leverages Web 2.0 technologies to integrate and share data from a wide variety of sources on the Internet. There are a number of issues which must be addressed before knowledge discovery can be leveraged effectively and ubiquitously in Health 2.0. Health care data is very sensitive in nature so privacy and security of personal data must be protected. Regulatory compliance must also be addressed if cooperative sharing of data is to be facilitated to ensure that relevant legislation and policies of individual health care organizations are respected. Finally, interoperability and data quality must be addressed in any framework for knowledge discovery on the Internet. In this chapter, we lay out a framework for ubiquitous knowledge discovery in Health 2.0 based on a combination of architecture and process. Emerging Internet standards and specifications for defining a Circle of Trust, in which data is shared but identity and personal information protected, are used to define an enabling architecture for knowledge discovery. Within that context, a step-by-step process for knowledge discovery is defined and illustrated using a scenario related to analyzing the correlation between emergency room visits and adverse effects of prescription drugs. The process we define is arrived at by reviewing an existing standards-based process, CRISP-DM, and extending it to address the new context of Health 2.0.

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