West Mercia Police and Public Health in Worcestershire are warning local people not to buy prescription drugs from unregulated online sellers, following a sharp rise in the number of illegal medications seized across the region.
Over the last 18 months, authorities have recovered hundreds of thousands of tablets made by unregulated sources that would otherwise have entered local communities.
In the UK, all pharmacies, whether online or on the high street, must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and sell medication which has been regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). People should check for the seller’s registration numbers on the website before making a purchase.
Counterfeit drugs are often made to look like genuine medications, using similar brand names and packaging. But they’re not what they seem. Tell-tale signs that something isn’t right can include low-quality blister packs, foreign language packaging or instructions, or missing information altogether.
Matt Pedrick, Control Drugs Liaison for West Mercia Police, said: “The drugs we are seeing coming into the county often look very similar to ones you’d get from the chemist. But these drugs are manufactured all over the world, often in facilities that don’t comply with the same safety standards that we require for prescription drugs. Not only that, many are cut with other, cheaper substances, so you don’t really know what you are taking. In some cases the drugs have been tested and found to contain illegal restricted drugs.
No deaths have yet been linked to these counterfeit medications, but with the volume rising, it may only be a matter of time.
People are turning to online sources to cut costs or avoid GP appointments, but this comes with serious consequences. Unregulated drugs can be dangerously strong, poorly manufactured, or contain entirely different substances. These risks make accidental overdose, harmful reactions, or treatment failure much more likely.
Lisa McNally, Director of Public Health from Worcestershire County Council, added: “Buying your medicine online may seem like a convenient and cheaper way to get hold of the drugs you need. But you are putting yourself at risk.
“Not only are you often dealing with illegal importers, but these drugs are not manufactured to the same high quality we would expect.
“Many drugs have other substances mixed in with them, which are illegal to take and may do you more harm than good.
“As well as falling victim to buying illegal, class A, B or C drugs without knowing it, by self-medicating, people also put themselves at risk by not getting the correct medical advice.”
Anyone worried about medication drugs that have been bought online for individual use can dispose of them safely by handing them to your nearest police station.
Police colleagues have reassured us that people won’t be putting themselves at risk of arrest for doing this.
If you are feeling unwell after taking medication bought online, always seek professional medical advice, call or visit NHS 111 online, or visit your local pharmacy or GP.
In an emergency, always call 999 first.
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