Is the online drugs market putting patients at risk?
Wilkinson, E.
Nursing Times 102(46): 23-24
2006
ISSN/ISBN: 0954-7762 PMID: 17144224 Document Number: 601824
A leading oncologist has warned that some patients with cancer are ordering drugs on the internet because they cannot access them in the UK. Examples include bevacizumab (Avastin) for the treatment of advanced bowel cancer, and erlotinib (Tarceva) for the treatment of lung cancer. The World Health Organization and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) advise great caution about buying medicines over the internet and say it should not be done without a valid prescription. This article discusses the growth of online pharmacies, problems with regulation and the dangers of self-prescribing.