PHARMACISTS’ Association president Nicos Nouris yesterday warned consumers against buying medications over the internet, saying they could suffer very severe side effects.
He said it was very worrying that people had such easy access to medications on the internet, and advised the government to invest in raising awareness regarding the dangers of such purchases.
“We have repeatedly told the Health Ministry – since as far back as 1999 – that it needs to carry out a campaign to inform the public about ordering medication from the internet,” he told the Cyprus Mail.
Nouris was referring to a European Commission warning issued on Wednesday regarding the increasing number of counterfeit medicines sold online.
The pharmacist said there were a number of dangers associated with the purchase of medication from internet sites.
“For one you don’t know if what you’re buying is a placebo or if it contains active ingredients. If it is a placebo then consumers do not know the quality of the ingredients contained in the medication and could either suffer zero side effects or have very severe problems,” he said.
Another problem was the condition of the pharmaceutical itself. “By the time it arrives in the post you don’t know how it has been stored and whether this has affected it. It could have been exposed to high temperatures or frost; anything to affect it,” he said.
The pharmacist also pointed out the medication often arrived with instructions written in a language foreign to local consumers. “We’ve known cases where patients buy medications from Scandinavian countries and the instructions are in Norwegian. This is dangerous because they can’t read Norwegian and so are not able to read about the possible dangers or problems associated with the medication,” he said.
Nouris added: “Sometimes patients already on medication might buy a product with an active ingredient that cannot be taken with the first medication. This can cause serious problems because the patient doesn’t have anyone to explain the dangers.”
He gave an example of a heart patient on anticoagulants taking a pill that contained aspirin and said such a patient could haemorrhage. “Or if someone has just had a bypass and takes too high a dose of Viagra, he could have serious problems with his blood pressure,” he said.
Regarding rumours the Cyprus market had been flooded with fake medicines, Nouris said he had not received any such official information nor was he aware of such a problem.
“The real issue is avoiding buying medication from the internet. I have said this time and again. The dangers are real and the Health Ministry needs to inform the public,” he said.
