Online availability of drugs cause for concern

According to scientists, this illegal practice could lead to a public heath crisis. Overuse of antibiotics, if left unchecked, can increase or even aggravate the spread of bacteria resistance with devastating consequences, including widespread illness and death from once curable diseases.

Dr. Robert Schwartz of the department of family medicine and community health, at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, stated, "The expanded and uncontrolled use of antibiotics is a public health hazard because of the impact on creating multiple drug-resistant bacteria.

"We already have a problem in our country with physicians overprescribing antibiotics . . . Allowing individuals in society unrestricted access to antibiotics is a set-up for a public health disaster.”

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) were stunned when a simple Google and Yahoo search revealed 138 vendors selling pencillin, erythromycin, and Cipro online.

Nearly 36 percent sold antibiotics without a prescription or a clinical examination, an exercise considered inappropriate and illegal in the United States.

Downsides of antibiotics’ online availability
The easy accessibility of drugs online impels people to diagnose and treat themselves without consulting their health care providers, which may be a waste of precious time and money.

A doctor is an expert in knowing which antibiotic to use for specific ailments. If an untrained person uses the wrong antibiotic his condition may get aggravated.

Non-prescribed antibiotics can lead to immunity as is found in the case of certain skin infections, and ailments like meningitis and pneumonia.

Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial illnesses. They do not work against viral illnesses, like the common cold, and can have negative side effects.

Arch G Mainous III, a professor of family medicine and biostatistics, bioinformatics and epidemiology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, lead author of the study, stated, "Patients feel like they know what's wrong and what they need to take. But I would contend that that's probably inaccurate.”

The researchers also found that most of the antibiotics sold online took over a week for delivery and were often sold in quantities far in excess of what is needed by an individual.

"This reservoir of antibiotics is likely to be used inappropriately -- the Web sites promote self-diagnosis and self-medication, and antibiotics are likely to be used in inappropriate dosages," the researchers write.

A word of advice
The researchers want the consumers to consult and take the advice of their doctors before ordering antibiotics.

Mainous stated, "We recommend expanding efforts to control antibiotic resistance in our communities, beyond educating physicians about when to prescribe antibiotics.

"We need education directed to patients and the community, as well as increased regulation and enforcement of existing regulations."

The study, “Availability of Antibiotics for Purchase Without a Prescription on the Internet,” has been published in the September/October 2009 issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.