About Health – Warning over fake Tamiflu sales

About Health –

More than 2m people regularly buy medicine over the internet

People should not buy anti-flu drug Tamiflu over the internet without a prescription, experts have warned.

The drug, used in suspected cases of swine flu, has now overtaken Viagra as the subject of the most junk e-mails, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society says.

But the supplies offered are often fake, with buyers getting sugar or rat poison instead of the drug.

The society stresses the government has stockpiled enough genuine Tamiflu for half the population.

The society’s research suggests more than two million people regularly buy medicine over the internet. However, much of that trade is legal.

A spokesman, David Pruce, said: "We now think that Tamiflu is the most spammed medicine on the internet. It’s taken over from Viagra. Most of that Tamiflu could well be fake. If it’s fake it could range from simple sugar to rat poison."

Meanwhile, the government says the rising numbers of swine flu cases mean trying to contain the virus is no longer an option.

Ministers said the emergency response would now move to a new "treatment" phase across the UK as there may soon be 100,000 new cases a day.

Consequently, anti-flu drugs will no longer be given to the close contacts of those infected nor will lab testing be done to confirm cases.