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A day after a big online pharmacy drug bust, law enforcement and the medical community are taking stock of a growing problem.
According to a complaint filed in the case, a Utah doctor arranged to fill prescriptions that legitimate pharmacies had rejected.
Online pharmacies are not illegal and can be a convenient way to order prescriptions. But pharmacists say going through the wrong sites can pose health risks to patients.
Utah leads the nation in prescription painkiller abuse, according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It's a problem, investigators are trying to target. Yesterday, a federal grand jury indicted 18 people for distributing drugs like the diet pill Phentermine through online pharmacies.
A Utah County doctor is named in the indictment and alleged to be a partner. During a phone interview yesterday, Dr. James Brinton said Phentermine is a safe drug that can save lives. Brinton said he only supported the advertising of Phentermine on the Web site. But a complaint alleges that Brinton set up a pharmacy in Florida. Lighthousemeds would pay the pharmacy's Internet advertising costs. In exchange, the pharmacy would refer all of their denied prescriptions to Lighthousemeds.
Ninety-five percent of the pharmacy's prescriptions were denied and referred to Lighthousemeds between July 2004 and August the following year.
Investigators say the drugs were smuggled in from Mexico.
Jim Ruble, with University Health Care Department of Pharmacy Services, said, "Once it leaves the jurisdiction of the U.S., there's no guarantees that we can track those particular items."
Ruble, who has been a pharmacist for 15 years, said drugs from rogue Web sites can be diluted or replaced. "We're really worried abut long-term effects," he said. "Is this going to increase hospitalization because people have less potent agents that they're taking?"
He said Utah has done well trying to ensure legitimate doctor-patient relationships. But he said technology can make that more challenging. He said, "As technology advances, there's a new opportunity to define what that bona fide patient relationship is."
Investigators said there is a bill awaiting President Bush's signature that would require online pharmacies to have a DEA registration number on their Web sites.
E-mail: syi@ksl.com
