Medics warn that self-prescriptions carry health risk

By MARTIN JOHNSTON health reporter

Medical groups have issued strong warnings against people obtaining the contraceptive pill and weight-loss drug Xenical on the Internet without a doctors' prescription.

A Website bearing an Auckland postbox number and called Hair2Go is offering to supply prescription medicines, including Xenical, Diane 35 contraceptive pills and hair restoratives, without a prescription.

The Medical Association chairwoman, Dr Pippa MacKay, said yesterday that it was imperative that people consult a doctor about Diane 35 because it was potentially risky - "for some people it's a dangerous drug."

People suffering obesity who might be prescribed Xenical needed to be checked for conditions including diabetes, she said.

Eating Disorders Association secretary Jewel Byne said it was "very dangerous" that people with eating disorders could bypass their doctor's advice and obtain Xenical.

The Ministry of Health's compliance team leader, Peter Pratt, said people were exposing themselves to risks by importing medicines ordered off the Internet.

Unlike with New Zealand-registered drugs, there was no verifiable guarantee of the safety and efficacy of Internet-imported medicines, he said.

People who imported prescription drugs without a New Zealand doctor's prescription could be breaking the law unless they had a "reasonable excuse" for possessing them.

Mr Pratt doubted Hair2Go was a New Zealand site.

If it was, its backers would be liable to a $1000 fine or six months' jail if convicted of selling prescription drugs to a patient here without a prescription.

Hair2Go's Herne Bay postbox number coincides with that of Kerry Bell, proprietor of the Kingsland Pharmacy in Auckland which operates Drugs2go, a site that insists on prescriptions for prescription drugs.

Mr Bell, who did not return the Herald's calls yesterday, previously said he had no connection with the Hair2Go site and that it was owned by "a guy in America."

Hair2Go's site says: "Most of our products are available over the counter in most countries and the prescription medications can be imported without a prescription due to recent import regulation changes allowing importation for personal use."

But Mr Pratt said, "There's no regulation changes here that allow that."

However, the ministry was drafting regulations to close a loophole that at present allowed New Zealand pharmacists to dispense prescription drugs overseas without a prescription.

He expected they would come into force by August.