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Revealed: UK online pharmacies fail to properly verify their identity and use "aggressive" marketing tactics to sell powerful and addictive opiate drugs
- Doctors-4-U and MyUKDoctor have been accused of sending targeted emails
- They encouraged patients to buy more codeine, the sale of which is regulated
- Health leaders have criticized this tactic as saying that a "reputed pharmacist" would not market these drugs.
- Codeine is used to treat pain but can be highly addictive
By Jack Newman for Mailonline
Published on: 5:37 am EDT, April 27, 2019 | Update: 5:37 am EDT, April 27, 2019
Online pharmacies in the UK have been accused of resorting to aggressive marketing tactics to sell highly addictive opioid drugs.
Doctors-4-U and MyUKDoctor, who are both registered with the UK regulator, sent emails to their customers urging them to buy drugs quickly because they ran out of stocks.
Pharmacies also advised patients that their purchase limit for codeine tablets had been removed and that they could buy more addictive drugs.
Investigation found that online pharmacies encourage clients to purchase high-dependence opioids such as codeine
Online pharmacies have restrictions on the amount of medication that customers can buy in a short period of time.
But the emails seen by The Guardian show Doctors-4-U telling a customer who buys codeine: "What are you waiting for? … This article goes fast so grab them while you still can.
MyUKDoctor also contacted clients to tell them that their time limit had been removed and offer them the opportunity to buy more prescription drugs.
MyUKDoctor and Doctor-4-U are both approved by the regulatory body for medicines and health products.
Opiate drugs such as codeine, used to treat pain, can be addictive and illegal in some forms.
The opioid epidemic is increasing, particularly in the United States, because of the availability of powerful painkillers and a number of recent overdoses.
Ash Soni, chairman of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said the marketing used by online pharmacies should be the subject of an investigation by regulators.
He said: "It's something that you would never expect from a reputable pharmacist."
Opiates, which are normally prescribed to treat pain, can be highly addictive and doctors are required to follow strict rules when prescribing them.
Yasir Abbasi, clinical director of drug treatment services at Mersey Care NHS Foundation, described the marketing as aggressive and said, "For opioid drugs, there should be no direct marketing to the consumer then you have to be clear regulations and guidelines around that.
The Guardian also obtained 200 tablets of codeine in two weeks from PillDoctor and UK Meds by ordering the drugs on behalf of David Smith, while using a different identity card and without proof of identity or address.
PillDoctor said the sale had been due to "human error", while UK authorities acknowledged that their system could be abused.
General practitioners are subject to strict regulations regarding the amount of codeine they can administer to patients and must monitor and review their use.
Doctor-4-U stated that his e-mail was not intended for marketing purposes but had been sent when a person had placed an order but had abandoned it before paying.
They also stated that it was not possible to buy opiates without the approval of a doctor and that they would stop sending the message.
MailOnline has contacted MyUKDoctor and Doctor-4-U for a comment.
What are opiates?
Opiates are derived from opium, the poppy-based drug used to treat heroin.
Medications, which include morphine and codeine, are normally used to treat pain.
But the side effects of badgesics can be drowsiness and respiratory depression.
There is a growing problem of drug dependence, which can also be used for recreational purposes.
In liquid form, codeine is often mixed with non-alcoholic beverages and is known as "lean" or "purple drunk".
The rappers Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz have been known to take the drink that has often been mentioned in rap songs.
In the United States, there is a growing epidemic of opioids with widespread addiction to painkillers such as oxycodone and fentanyl.
The availability of over-the-counter medications and their effectiveness has resulted in a number of overdoses.
Opiates are known to have contributed to the deaths of Heath Ledger, Prince and Mac Miller.
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