Alert over Romanian pharmacies selling drugs online to UK

AN URGENT change in the law is needed to clamp down on foreign-based online ‘pharmacies’ that sell prescription-only drugs, the Care Quality Commission is warning.

England’s health care regulator wants action over powerful and often addictive drugs that are being sent to people without proper consultations.

In many cases they are ordered by addicts to circumvent their own GPs. A loophole in legislation means websites are avoiding regulation by contracting their doctors to work from EU countries including Romania and Bulgaria.

The commission spoke out before a BBC Panorama investigation, broadcast tonight, that found two companies providing potentially dangerous drugs without carrying out stringent checks.

One, UK Meds, is promoted by celebrity doctor Christian Jessen, who has presented Channel 4 programmes.

Panorama found the company was avoiding regulation as it hires doctors through a sister company EU General Practitioners in Romania.

Two former opiate addicts were asked to order prescription-only medication. One received the opiate-based painkiller dihydrocodeine, the other another powerful painkiller, pregabalin.

A spokesman for Dr Jessen said he was used by the company to present short information videos and didn’t endorse specific products.

Professor Steve Field at the CQC warned the law ‘does not allow us to have any oversight over companies outside England and that is a real problem’.

He added: ‘We need to try and get the legislation changed so that people can’t just bypass our regulatory activities.’