Health
GAO scores pain meds on Internet in test
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 12, 2004
The General Accounting Office, regarded as the nation's watchdog agency, had no trouble obtaining the controlled substance hydrocodone from eight online pharmacies without having been seen by the physicians who wrote the prescriptions.
The GAO reported its findings to the Senate's permanent subcommittee on investigations in a June 17 report.
A prescription for the powerful pain reliever was sent to a GAO investigator posing as a patient by five Internet pharmacies after they received an order and credit card payment information. Three other suppliers called and asked questions about prior use of the drug before sending the prescriptions.
The online price of the drug was about 10 times higher than its normal retail price.
The GAO concluded that the "Web sites appear to purposely cater to hydrocodone customers who are willing to pay a substantial markup for the painkillers because they do not have prescriptions."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/07/12/hlbf0712.htm.
