Bootleg medicine 'risk to millions'
Millions of people are risking their health by purchasing counterfeit medicine online rather than obtaining regulated drugs on prescription, according to new research.
A hard-hitting campaign has been launched to warn the public of the risks of buying medicines in such a way as the products they take may be dangerous and have no medical benefits.
Around one in seven adults questioned admitted avoiding the healthcare system to get hold of supposed prescription-only medicine.
The majority of doctors quizzed said the practice was placing people's health and potentially lives at risk as some of the medicines obtained may be counterfeit.
Fake medicines can contain harmful ingredients such as rat poison, boric acid and lead paint. They are often produced by people with no appropriate qualifications and can include too much, too little or none of the active medical ingredient.
They can cause harm to patients, which can sometimes lead to death, the research said.
Pharmaceutical companies, regulatory bodies and patient groups have launched the Get Real, Get A Prescription campaign to warn of the dangers of buying fake medicines from unregulated websites.
The campaign is a joint initiative by Pfizer, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB), The Patients Association and Heart UK.
The campaign features a shocking television ad in which a man receives some counterfeit medicine in the post. After taking a tablet he coughs up a dead rat.
According to the research, bargain-hunting consumers are fuelling the demand for prescription-only medicine online which counterfeiters are exploiting.
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