Consumer Health

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Consumer Health

Is Consumer Health and Safety in Jeopardy
With the implementation of Self-Prescription
Drug Internet Sites?
Amanda C. Feitner
GUS 72-001: Urban Affairs-Consumers
In the Marketplace: Your Legal Rights
and Responsibilities.
Prof. John E. Kelly, J.D.
April 17, 2000
The expeditious augmentation of consumer product transactions taking place on the Internet have developed new risk for the public's health and safety, especially with the rise of online self-prescription drug sites. Online Pharmacies have been created to benefit the consumer but pose many risks for credulous purchasers, increased health fraud, and unique challenges to regulators, law enforcement, and policymakers. With these latest technological advancements, former regulations utilized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concerning the distribution of prescription and over the counter drugs have to some extent become obsolete. This has required that the FDA along with the combined efforts of other organizations such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), create new regulations to protect consumers.
The evolution of online prescription Internet sites has brought several advantages to consumers, allowing individuals to attain ever-increasing amounts of knowledge to improve their understanding of health issues and treatment options. Last year alone more than 22 million Americans used the Internet to find medical information. According to Investor's Business Daily, 43% of web surfers access health care data online each year. Health concerns are the sixth most common reason people use the Internet, and according to the market research firm, Cyber Dialogue Inc., this number is growing 70 percent a year.
The leading attractions to purchasing consumer products online are speed, privacy, ease of choosing and ordering products, and reduction in possible prescription errors with the use of computer technology to transmit prescriptions from doctors to pharmacies. Other benefits include: lower prices through increased competition among licensed sellers; greater availability of drugs for people with difficulties causing inability to get to the pharmacy or people who may live a great distance from the pharmacy; the ease of comparative shopping among many sites to find the best prices and products; and greater convenience and variety of products for all customers who prefer online ordering of drugs.
While there seems to be vast amounts of benefits with these online drug prescription s...

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