Use of online pharmacies has increased rapidly in recent years . In the US, the number of websites selling controlled prescription drugs rose by 70% from 2006 to 2007, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.
The trends in the UK are similar: some estimates predict around two million people in Britain buy prescription drugs online – despite the fact many online pharmacies are unregistered, so buying from them is can be unsafe.
Increasing cost of healthcare in some countries, long waiting times to obtain prescriptions in others, and the extent at which online shopping has pervaded our lives has seen online pharmacies soar.
But, according to the WHO, 50% of drugs for sale on the internet are fake. A survey of 10,000 online pharmacies found that 9,938 did not comply with pharmacy practice standards or US state and federal laws, according to America’s National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
If you buy medicine from online pharmacies we’d like to find out what you buy, and why you purchase online. Share your experiences by filling in the form below – anonymously – and we’ll use a selection in our reporting.
