|
Examining Net pharmacies
|
 |
August 9, 1999: 5:48 a.m. ET
Online drug stores offer convenience, savings - when they're legitimate
By Staff Writer Nicole Jacoby
|
NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Has the pointed glance of a grandfatherly pharmacist ever stopped you from filling your birth control prescription? Or maybe the hair loss remedy that seemed like a great idea became suddenly silly when the statuesque brunette got in line behind you at the drug store.
Almost everyone - from teenagers to senior citizens - has suffered embarrassment at the pharmacy counter, be it over condoms or Viagra.
Now a series of new Internet companies are hoping to inoculate consumers from that shame, by selling pharmaceuticals over the Internet, and offering cost and convenience benefits as well.
Unfortunately, the prescription practices used by some of these Web sites have put the medical establishment up in arms.
On the positive side
The anonymity offered by online drug stores is just the beginning. Convenience and cost savings are among the most commonly-touted advantages of Internet pharmacies.
For those that are disabled, bed-ridden or live great distances from a drug store, online pharmacies alleviate a serious obstacle to obtaining medications.
Internet pharmacies also enable consumers to compare prices more easily and give them a greater selection of brands and drugs to choose from. Difficult-to-find herbal remedies and alternative generic brands are all easily accessible on many of the medical Web sites that have sprung up in recent years, including Drugstore.com and PlanetRX.com.
Filling prescriptions on the Web is very similar to filling prescriptions at traditional pharmacies. Generally, patients are required to choose a payment option, provide a health profile, insurance data and details regarding their prescription before a medication is dispensed.
Online pharmacies also provide value-added perks to their consumers, such as e-mail refill reminders and delivery services that help patients maintain their regimens. And many sites offer consultations with certified pharmacists over e-mail or phone, in addition to diagnostic tools, wellness information and medical data that could otherwise take hours of research to accumulate.
Inconveniences remain
But online drug stores aren't a ubiquitous solution.
Brick-and-mortar stores offer services that simply cannot be provided over a cable modem. Some patients, for instance, need to have their blood pressure and cholesterol monitored regularly by pharmacists as part of their drug therapies. And patients with acute conditions should always pick the accessibility of their local stores over the Internet.
Another problem with online pharmacies is the issue of insurance. Many online drug companies have struggled to sign on insurers, which means in many cases consumers cannot yet use their insurance to buy prescriptions drugs online. While this will likely change in coming years, consumers dependent on certain health plans may be stuck making a trip to their corner drug stores for prescription medications.
And while Internet pharmacies offer increased anonymity to patients buying Viagra, birth control or other potentially embarrassing drugs, they can raise other privacy issues.
"You don't want information about what drugs you are taking given to someone who shouldn't have access to it," said Mitchel Rothholz, deputy to the executive vice president at the American Pharmaceutical Association. Nor do you want your personal data sold to direct mail retailers or the like.
To be fair, some Web sites have gone to great lengths to protect the privacy of their customers. Drugstore.com, for instance, keeps patient medical information and identity information in separate databases to minimize potential harm in the event of a hack.
But weeding out good pharmacy sites from the unscrupulous ones has been a challenge for the medical establishment and government regulators alike.
Challenges remain
Online drug stores that offer to provide prescriptions to patients have regulators most concerned.
While many of the big-name Web drug stores have steered clear of this practice, many companies have used the Internet to prescribe popular drugs to patients without ever examining them in person. Instead, consumers are asked to fill out an online questionnaire describing their ailment, upon which a prescription is issued.
"Purportedly, these prescriptions are being reviewed by physicians. But for some of the drugs that are being prescribed, this is not adequate medical supervision," said Rich Cleland, senior staff attorney for the Federal Trade Commission.
Weight-loss drug Zenacol, hair loss remedy Propecia and impotency drug Viagra are among those most commonly prescribed over the Internet, according to the FTC.
Although online companies are subject to the same laws that regulate their brick-and-mortar counterparts, enforcing these laws on the Internet has been a battle.
"The problem right now is that technology has outpaced the enforcement," said Cleland.
With the number of Web sites proliferating at breakneck speeds, regulators have been hard-pressed to keep up.
Jurisdiction has been a problem as well.
While the Federal Trade Commission is responsible for companies that engage in deceptive practices or exaggerate the safety claims of a product, it is up to the Food and Drug Administration and state medical boards to regulate the dispensing and prescription of drugs.
And no agency really has jurisdiction over international companies, although overseas firms dispensing pharmaceuticals in the United States are subject to the same laws as U.S. companies.
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy hopes to simplify the task of separating good Web sites from the bad by rewarding legitimate Internet drug stores with an online "seal" of approval. That process is expected to be completed later this year.
Fighting back
Neither regulators, nor the medical establishment, advocates consumers stay away from online pharmacies.
"The Internet can be an important tool to enhance the practice of medicine," said Donald Palmisano, a member of the American Medical Association's board of trustees. "…But we must never let technology supersede safety."
But consumers are advised to steer clear of sites that prescribe drugs.
"You should really filter information about diagnosis and treatment through your physician," said Palmisano. "The Internet can be a treasure-trove of information… but you can't accept everything at face value."
If you do plan on using an online pharmacy, follow these tips.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
