NHS patients are illegally selling medications prescribed in the hospital thru the internet. Illegal selling of unused or unwanted medication have been exposed thru a BBC investigation. These prescription drugs can only be prescribed by specialists however they can are now found readily for sale on eBay. According to eBay spokesperson, a number of these prescription medicines have already been removed from the site.
Caverject And Enbrel On eBay
BBC's undercover reporter for Inside Out West Midlands has discovered the illegal selling of Caverject. Caverject is a prescription medication used to manage erectile dysfunction. The agent was also illegally sold Enbrel used to treat arthritis.
According to the seller of Caverject, the drugs were received for free as a prescription since e has Type 1 diabetes. He reasoned that he is selling it online because "can't use them anymore. Additionally he also confirmed that he had "three or four" regular customers.
The seller said he was prescribed 4 boxes per month. This quantity costs £500 to the NHS. According to the listings, the boxes are sold for £6 each.
The BBC undercover also purchased other prescription-only medications such as tooth paste and even antidepressants from NHS patients. The sellers are allegedly advertising them on eBay.
Medicines Act Of 1968
The Medicines Act of 1968 defines the three legal categories of medicines-- the pharmacy medicines, general sales list medicines, and prescription-only medicines.
This act states that most medicines can solely be supplied or sold with a prescription at a pharmacy and under the supervision of a pharmacist.
A number of general sales list medicines can be sold at chosen premises such as convenience stores- as long as they are pre-packedand the premises can be closed to exclude the public.
Strictly, the act also states that prescription-only medication cannot be obtained in the absence of a prescription. This prescription may usually come from a General Practitioner. In a few instances, medicines may also be prescribed by a pharmacist, nurse, dentist, midwife, optometrist or other health care professionals.
Some of the prescription-only medicines are classed under he controlled medicines. This category include pethidine, methadone, and morphine. They are considered controlled medications as they can be prone to abuse. Therefore, stricter limitations and laws apply to controlled medicines.
eBay's Response
eBay confirmed their willingness to take action. The auction company will remove the listing of prescription drugs every time they are alerted about these kinds of sales.
"Ebay sellers are prohibited from listing prescription drugs, in line with rules set by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)," according to eBay spokesperson.
