Copyright 1999 Journal Sentinel Inc.
Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel
March 7, 1999 Sunday Final
SECTION: News Pg. 25
LENGTH:
383 words
HEADLINE: Online pharmacies draw wary
interest of watchdogs
GAO to investigate proliferating companies
selling drugs by computer
BYLINE: ALISSA J. RUBIN
SOURCE: Los Angeles Ti
mes
DATELINE: Washington
BODY:
The embryonic online prescription drug business is coming under scrutiny
from federal watchdogs and professional organizations, the result of reports
that some companies allow customers to purchase powerful prescription medicines
such as Viagra and Propecia with nothing more than an online "visit" to a
virtual doctor.
At the request of Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), one of
the most senior members of Congress, the congressional General Accounting Office
will investigate companies that sell drugs on the Internet.
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which
represents the boards that set standards in every state, also has begun to
review the activities of online purveyors of presc ription drugs. The
fast-growing electronic pharmaceutical industry, which is based largely on the
West Coast, has gained financial backing from some of the most successful online
enterprises. Just two weeks ago Amazon.com, the Internet bo okseller, launched
Drugstore.com, which sells prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals as
well as other drugstore goods.
Other entrants include San
Francisco-based PlanetRx.com and soma.com of Seattle, which is backed by America
On line.
Prescription drugs are one of the fastest-growing health care
sectors, with sales of $102 billion in 1998, according to the National
Association of Chain Drugstores. Internet prescriptions are a subset of mail
order drugs, which are increasingly the mode of purchase for people who have
chronic illnesses and want to be sure they get needed medications on schedule.
At these sites, patients must submit the names of their doctors and
phone numbers so the pharmacy can ve rify the prescriptions.
Precipitating the scrutiny of the online stores, however, is the
practice of some pharmacies not only to fill prescriptions, but also to provide
a physician to write them for patients who do not have their own.
For
example, a customer of thepillbox.com who wants Viagra, the anti-impotence drug,
can get a prescription by filling out an online questionnaire that a doctor
reviews for any potential problems. There is no way to guarantee the accuracy of
the information, however and Viagra, which can interact dangerously with heart
medication, has been linked to a series of deaths.
LOAD-DATE: March 10, 1999
