PHILADELPHIA - (September 28, 1999) A new study of 46 Internet sites selling prescription drugs directly to the public (i.e., not portal or click-through sites) found that:

• Only five sites revealed the actual location of the business.
• None revealed the names, addresses, specialties or qualifications of their physicians.
• Nine sites, all outside the U.S., did not require a physician's prescription.
• Ten sites recruited physicians to become consultants for the sites.
• Online doctor consultations cost more than visits to primary care physicians.
• Two popular drugs cost more, on average, if purchased online than at a pharmacy.

University of Pennsylvania researchers studied many aspects of the pharmacy Web sites and collected prices of sildenafil (Viagra) for male erectile dysfunction and finasteride (Propecia) for male baldness. These drugs were sold by all sites and were the drugs sold most often. The researchers compared the Internet costs of the drugs and physician consultations with the median costs of the drugs in five Philadelphia-area pharmacies and with payments for physician visits by Medicare and managed care organizations in the Philadelphia area.

The article and editorial will be published in Annals of Internal Medicine in December 1999 but are available now on the Annals of Internal Medicine Web site (http://www.acponline.org). Editor Frank Davidoff, MD, felt the article and the accompanying FDA editorial were important public health messages that should be posted on the Annals Web site prior to publication in the print journal. Annals of Internal Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine in Philadelphia, is the largest medical specialty journal in the U.S.

"The Internet holds great promise for improv
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Contact: Susan Anderson
215-351-2653
American College of Physicians
28-Sep-1999