The prescriptions issued by the hospital do not exceed 7 days' consumption at a time, but online shopping can buy 10 boxes at a time; the maximum validity period of hospital prescriptions cannot exceed 3 days, but online shopping can use prescriptions from a few months ago; some online shopping platforms can also buy and prescribe prescription
How to get rid of "blind" buying and "blind" selling of prescription drugs online
Our reporter Liu Shanshan and Peng Bing
"Workers Daily" (September 19, 2022 03 edition)
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Online drug sales facilitate people to buy drugs, but there are chaos in the sales network, such as banned drugs, lax prescription review, and promotion of prescription drugs.
Industry insiders believe that the "Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Drug Sales" to be implemented on December 1 will help curb these chaos. At the same time, patients should also take responsibility for their own health and purchase prescription drugs carefully.
Search for "Grass rhinoceros infusion tablets" on the online shopping platform, click on the prescription to buy, after selecting the relevant disease, ask the prescription and pay in seconds.
A few days ago, Ms. Zhang, a citizen of Changchun, bought this prescription drug on an online shopping platform because her father suffered from frozen shoulder.
"Not only is it convenient, but I can also shop around online. If my father still needs to take this medicine after returning to my hometown in the countryside, I can also place an order directly online, so as not to have to go to the hospital again."
In recent years, online shopping platforms have provided many conveniences for patients to purchase medicines, but they also have hidden risks, such as lax prescription review and inducing purchases through promotions.
In order to standardize the online sales of drugs, the State Administration for Market Regulation recently issued the "Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Drug Online Sales" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures"), which clarify the management of drug online sales, platform responsibility performance, supervision and inspection measures, and legal responsibilities. Regulation.
Chai Jin, director of the Pharmacy Department of the Second Hospital of Jilin University, said in an interview with a reporter from "Worker Daily" that the introduction of the new regulations will further regulate the behavior of online sales of prescription drugs and provide more security for ordinary people to purchase drugs and drugs, "Policy supervision is very important, patients You should also raise your awareness of the potential side effects and toxicity of prescription drugs, and use them according to the doctor's advice. Only when patients take responsibility for their own health can they truly maintain the final line of defense for safe drug use."
The buying process is like a patient prescribing their own medicine
The reporter learned that in recent years, some online pharmacies have not only violated the law of selling psychotropic drugs and other prohibited prescription drugs online, but also illegally carried out the first consultation on the Internet, the electronic prescriptions are untrue and irregular, the "pharmacist review" is in name only, and the prescription drugs are marked as Over-the-counter drug sales, promotion of prescription drugs, and many other online sales chaos.
Mr. Wang often buys calcium tablets for his mother on the online shopping platform. Two years ago, when he bought calcium tablets, he saw the kidney bone tablets recommended by the system. After clicking on the detailed description of the drug, he found that the drug was very suitable for his mother's symptoms, so he immediately bought 10. box.
"There are discounts for more purchases, and the purchase process is simple and convenient. I just placed an order when I was confused," said Mr. Wang. Later, he learned that it was a prescription drug and could not be taken casually. Now that I think about it, I am a little scared.
Recently, the reporter tried to search for "cefaclor" on an online shopping platform. After entering the store, he saw that the information on the drug packaging, adaptation symptoms and other information on the product page was readily available, and there was a discount for buying 5 boxes at a time.
The reporter clicks on the prescription to buy, and the consultation information lists several related diseases. After selecting the diagnosed disease, you can enter the prescription and purchase page. The whole process is like the patient prescribing the medicine for himself.
The reporter clicked on several different stores and searched for different prescription drug names, which was basically the same process.
Chai Jin said that according to the "Administrative Measures for the Classification of Prescription Drugs and Non-Prescription Drugs", unlike non-prescription drugs that can be judged, purchased and used by themselves, prescription drugs must be prepared, purchased and used with the prescription of a licensed physician or a licensed assistant physician. lead to serious consequences.
New rules will help curb online prescription drug chaos
"The online sales of prescription drugs are relatively complete, the cost is relatively low, and the purchase method is convenient. Especially during the epidemic, it is indeed convenient for many patients, especially those with chronic diseases who take fixed drugs for a long time." Chai Jin said, but the premise is that prescription drugs must be Online sales channels should do a good job of relevant supervision, and safety is the bottom line that cannot be crossed.
According to previous reports, online shopping for prescription drugs is not uncommon, and some are even life-threatening.
Due to the lack of strict review, some people used pet dog photos to buy prescription drugs online successfully. Some people experienced adverse reactions after taking online prescription drugs. After examination by doctors, they thought that there might be a problem with the drugs.
The reporter found that when shopping for drugs online, some patients bought prescription drugs online with a prescription from a few months or even a year or two ago, and some patients even bought drugs in a hurry. Chronic diseases and other incurable diseases, or exaggerated curative effects, can cure all diseases.
In the early days of the Internet's involvement in drug sales, the state clearly prohibited pharmaceutical e-commerce from selling prescription drugs. The newly promulgated "Measures" mean that online sales of prescription drugs have been approved, but at the same time, the new regulations have implications for the management of online drug sales, third-party platform management, and the responsibilities and obligations of all parties. are clearly stipulated.
These regulations will help curb the problems of online sales of prescription drugs without a prescription, fake prescriptions, repeated use of prescriptions, self-medication by drug buyers according to the instructions, and abuse of prescription drugs.
Online shopping of prescription drugs should carefully identify drug sales qualifications
Chai Jin said that the prescriptions issued by the hospital are generally valid on the same day. In special cases, the validity period needs to be extended. The doctor who issued the prescription should indicate the validity period, but the maximum validity period should not exceed 3 days, and the doctor will strictly follow the course of treatment for the patient's condition. The prescribed amount of medicine should generally not exceed 7 days’ consumption. Prescription medicines for chronic diseases will be appropriately extended, but patients will be required to review regularly, and doctors will judge whether it is necessary to adjust the type or dosage of medicines based on the examination results, and detect changes in related indicators.
From the perspective of patients, Chai Jin believes that online shopping of prescription drugs should not be based on experience or feeling alone, nor should you place orders online because of the convenience of the picture. Pay attention to distinguish the relevant qualifications of the online store, check the name of the drug, the production batch number, the place of origin, and the dosage. Waiting for information, after receiving the medicine, pay attention to check the authenticity and whether it has deteriorated, and carefully identify each link.
Buying prescription drugs online is most afraid of buying fake drugs. Some merchants who fish in troubled waters will take advantage of the psychology of drug buyers who are too lazy to inquire about the information filed by the Food and Drug Administration to forge relevant drug sales qualifications.
"Don't be afraid of trouble when buying medicines!" Chai Jin reminded that when consumers choose an online pharmacy, they should first go to the website of the State Food and Drug Administration to check the authenticity of the certificate to determine whether it is a regular online pharmacy approved by the State Food and Drug Administration. .
At the same time, the easiest way to identify the authenticity of a drug is to log on to the official website of the State Food and Drug Administration to check the drug name, approval number, manufacturer, production date, expiration date and other information. The auxiliary method is to observe the drug packaging, appearance, color, smell, etc.
She emphasized: "Once you buy a fake drug, you must protect your legitimate rights and interests through legal means such as reporting to the Food and Drug Administration."