The family of a nurse who died from an accidental overdose of codeine are demanding a crackdown on online pharmacists.
An inquest heard mum-of-two Katie Corrigan, 38, had become dependent on the painkiller and bought the pills online without having to tell her GP.
Katie’s heartbroken mother Christine Taylor, also a nurse, insisted: “Tougher regulation is long overdue. It is not just the ease with which you can obtain these drugs online. It’s the fact that you can do so without your own doctor even being aware.”
Use of online pharmacies exploded during lockdown as patients struggled to get face-to-face GP appointments.
Patients can get a prescription after a review with an online doctor. The industry is worth £300million a year in Britain and there is no regulation of providers based outside the UK.
Mrs Taylor told the Sunday Mirror: “She had a chronic neck problem and was prescribed codeine by her GP.
“But when the GP became aware Katie was dependent on codeine, the prescriptions stopped. Despite no longer having the prescription, Katie was able to access it so easily online.
“We believe it should be mandatory for online pharmacies to inform GPs exactly what has been sent to patients. There should also be limits on the amount of drugs ordered at one time.”
Katie’s dad Fred added: “We want the regulation made so tight this can’t happen again. Katie was able to find loopholes – those need to go.
“We miss her every day and we’d give anything to have her back. We don’t want anyone to go through what we have.”
Katie, of Hayle, in Cornwall, died in August 2020. Among her parents’ last memories are treasured pictures of her on her travels in 2019 and 2020.
One loophole they want closing is the ability for online patients to tick a box to stop GPs being notified.
Mrs Taylor went on: “You tell the doctor your symptoms – real or made up. I’m a nurse and I’d be very wary if a patient said, ‘I don’t want my GP informed’.
“That would tell me something is wrong. Your GP should be involved or informed.”
Coroner Andrew Cox wrote a Prevention of Future Deaths report to warn of the dangers of buying drugs online.
In his alert, sent to the Care Quality Commission and Department of Health, the Cornwall coroner said not having to notify GPs left the system “open to abuse”.
The CQC said it aimed to improve regulation of providers “putting lives at risk”. The Department of Health is “considering carefully” the coroner’s concerns, adding: “Patient safety is our priority.”
Around 2,000 UK deaths a year are linked to powerful painkillers.
