Cyberdrugs: a cross-sectional study of online pharmacies characteristics

Orizio, Grazia; Schulz, Peter; Domenighini, Serena; Caimi, Luigi; Rosati, Cristina; Rubinelli, Sara; Gelatti, Umberto

doi:10.1093/eurpub/ckn146

Cited by 58 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The range of counterfeit products reaching markets is broad including fast-moving OTCs, generics as well-branded high-tech products. It is estimated that in more than 50% of cases, medicines purchased over the internet from illegal sites that conceal their physical address have been found to be counterfeits [101]. The type of counterfeit drugs most frequently faked in developing countries are medicines used for infectious diseases such as antibiotics and anti-malarial products.…”

Section: Production and Distribution Of Substandard And Counterfeit Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risks Associated with International Trading of Medicines by Non-Licensed Entities and Non-Professionals

Malangu¹

2017

International Trade - On the Brink of Change

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The making, distribution and trading of medicines can be traced back as far as antiquity. When talking about trading, sale or dispensing of medicines, it is almost impossible to separate this topic with the profession of pharmacy or pharmacists. Although most countries introduced legislations that put the trading of medicines largely in the hand of licensed businesses and professionals mainly pharmacists, informal and international trading of medicines and related substances has continued to be practiced in almost all countries due to loopholes in legislations among other reasons. This chapter highlights the risks associated with the trading of medicines by unlicensed organisations and non-professionals. These risks include the production and sale of counterfeit medicines, encouraging abuse and misuse of medicines, anti-competitive behaviour and so on. The major indings are that concessions made to allow non-licensed businesses and nonprofessionals to trade in medicines have resulted in several consequences that are threatening the whole world. It is this realisation that has prompted the recommendation that courage from decision makers is required for them to take a stand and hand over back the trading of medicines irmly in the hands of licensed professionals while outlawing loopholes that sustained the trade of medicines by unlicensed entities and non-professionals.Keywords: informal, illegal, trade, medicines, non-licensed, non-professional IntroductionThe making, distribution and trading of medicines can be traced back as far as antiquity. The making, production or manufacturing of medicines, mixtures, admixtures and other dosages forms have been performed over the years by a wide categories of people including lay peo- ple, priests, herbalists, traditional healers, midwives, medical doctors, nurses and pharmacists. As elaborated below, the practice of the art of healing was based on Arab, Egyptian, Greek and Roman texts, particularly those of Hippocrates, Aristotle, Dioscorides, Galen and others. The making of medicines was the domain of monasteries and local healers as medical training was not formalised then. The formal training and development of preparation techniques of medicinal mixtures based on standardised processes of harvesting, drying and distillation led to the abandonment of the old-fashioned herbal preparations practices by lay people who fell out of favour with the professionalization of the healing/medical community. But the distribution, sale as well as the local and international trade of medicines have been performed, in addition, by licensed and non-licensed people and businesses. This paper aims to describe and report on the risks associated with the trading of medicines by non-licensed business entities and non-professionals. In doing so, the paper elaborates on the reasons why international trade is prone to being conducted by unlicensed businesses and non-professionals, as well as on the sources of medicines traded.In order to accomplish the above, the literature search, wit...

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Section: Production and Distribution Of Substandard And Counterfeit Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risks Associated with International Trading of Medicines by Non-Licensed Entities and Non-Professionals

Malangu¹

2017

International Trade - On the Brink of Change

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“…However, such marketing strategies divert attention away from the doctor-patient relationship (indeed health professionals are often excised from the transaction) and increase the risk of consuming counterfeit and unapproved drugs in unsupervised dosages (Orizio et al, 2009;Orizio and Gelatti, 2010). Moreover, in seeking to reduce health to any everyday commodity (such as shoes or clothes), the particular pharmacological, physiological and social and material powers of medicines are also bleached out (Whyte et al, 2002).…”

Section: Globalisation and E-pharmaciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pills, pluralism, risk and citizenship: Theorising e-pharmacies

Brijnath

2012

BioSocieties

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This article uses the theoretical concepts of risk, imagination and pharmaceutical citizenship to understand the growing popularity of e-pharmacies and online health-seeking. I start with discussing how rapid social and economic forces such as globalisation, the rise of diasporic communities, increased use of technologies, changing notions of citizenship and risk, and the commodification of health have see the rise of e-pharmacies both licit and illegal. Then I explicate the links between the social imagination and pluralism; the relationship between e-pharmacies, risk and the state; and finally how the aim of achieving pharmaceutical citizenship prevails over national citizenship and the risks associated with using e-pharmacies. I conclude there are three ironies in this paradigm: (i) the common reasons for drug-purchasing among e-pharmacy consumers (associated as being technologised, high income earners) and drug consumers in low-income, poorly regulated societies; (ii) the irony of pluralism and hybridism -wherein drugs are marketed as 'exotic' and 'unknown' but embedded in scientific knowledge and credibility; and (iii) the irony of risk and the role of the state -wherein people prefer the unknown, that is, the risk of drugs bought online rather than the risks of the known, that is, the capacity of the state to actually and sufficiently care for its populace.

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“…This represents a fundamental shift in the Internet's health-related role: from merely providing access to information (but full of consequences, as mentioned above), the Internet has now become a way to access health services as well, such as drugs, genetic tests and medical devices (Orizio et al 2009a;Levaggi et al 2009). More specifically, the sale of drugs on the Internet poses critical questions, and in our opinion is an emblematic example of how health via the Web has unimaginable implications, so complex as to involve deeply all the actors of the health world.…”

Section: Social Semiotics 31mentioning

confidence: 99%