October 2, 2007
Dangers of Medications Ordered Online
A B.C. woman’s death last year from metal toxicity underlines the
dangers of buying medications through the internet, says the regional
coroner for Vancouver Island.
Marcia Bergeron, 57, of Quadra Island died last December from a heart
attack brought on by toxic metals in her system. Toxicology tests
found the concentration of aluminum in her liver to be 15 times the norm.
A coroner’s inquiry found on Thursday the toxins came from counterfeit
medicines Bergeron had ordered online.
Coroner Rose Stanton warns that the practice of buying cheap drugs
online is increasing and that there are very few safeguards for consumers.
“It’s certainly happening at a significant enough rate that it can
keep these people in business who are selling the drugs.
“And people who are buying are people who for one reason or another
can’t get to a pharmacy … or they don’t want people to know the drug
they are purchasing,” Stanton told CBC News.
“It’s no surprise that the leading drug purchased over the internet is
Viagra.” Provincial Health Minister George Abbott echoed Stanton’s
warning, saying that although the federal government regulates
internet trade, the sale of drugs online appears to be uncontrollable.
“There is no way for Health Canada or anyone else to ensure the safety
of the product that is coming to the recipient when it’s purchased
over the internet,” he told CBC News.
Evidence gleaned from Bergeron’s computer suggests she had ordered
sedative and anti-anxiety drugs over the internet. Unmarked packages
were also found in her home.
The coroner’s report noted that internet drug sites selling
counterfeit medication are a complex and emerging health-care problem,
but made no recommendation on how to put a stop to it.