MHRA close down 1,600 illegal websites in medicines bust

For a number of years Medical Specialists® Pharmacy – a safe, legitimate, fully registered online pharmacy with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) and the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) – have waged a war against the growing trade of illegal websites selling potentially fatal drugs.

Usually, these websites have been meticulously crafted together by crooks looking to make a quick buck from the unknowing customers that come to them. Often the websites pretend to be that of a real pharmacy, but in reality, there are no doctors, pharmacists, or anyone with a health-related background involved in the illegal ‘pharmacy’, and the medicines and usually poorly made counterfeits too.

Unfortunately, these websites are springing up across all the major search engines, such as Google, and look to draw-in unsuspecting customers with suspiciously low prices and outrageously illegal offers on prescription drugs, such as “buy one get one free!”…This is particularly common amongst erectile dysfunction treatments such as Viagra and Cialis. However, imagine going to your own GP and he offers you 10 free Viagra tablets if you pay for 20 Cialis tablets to begin with, it is an absurd thought process, but it is the kind of thing that appears on illicit drug websites. There are also countless other easy ways to spot a fake online pharmacy.

The good news though is that medicines regulator The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have successfully clamped down on these illegal websites, according to a new study.

The On Tap Report, conducted by UK defence and security think tank the Royal United Services Institute, states that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of such websites shut down, soaring from 200 in 2010 to more than 1,800 by 2014.

The fact there are so many websites emerging has been pinpointed to the fairly ‘low-risk and high reward’ involved with such illicit activities. For example, there is only a two year maximum prison sentence carried for offences under the 1968 Medicines Act. Not only this, most medicines are easy to duplicate because of standardised tablet sizes, vials and packets, due to high levels of regulation.
The report explains how the trade of illegal drug websites has managed to thrive primarily due to the relatively unregulated environment that is the internet. Unsurprisingly, most illegal pharmaceuticals are obtained over the internet compared to within high street pharmacies. In addition, it is estimated that more than half of our spam emails contain links to illegal websites, usually selling counterfeit drugs.

MHRA enforcement group manager Alastair Jeffrey spoke about the work of the MHRA in fighting the illegal websites and the risk they pose to the public.

He commented: “We welcome this report and as the UK regulator of medicines and medical devices, we are focused on tackling the illegal medicines trade. The report identifies much of the good work currently being undertaken by us and other government agencies.

“Our priority is to protect public health and while the involvement of organised crime in the illegal trade of medicines is not new, our work continues to evolve to counter the growing influence of the internet and other factors. We’re exploring the report’s recommendations, a number of which are already being addressed by the provisions of the Falsified Medicines Directive which has been implemented in the UK and is coming into force in stages.

“We would reiterate our advice that people should be alert to the risks of buying medicines online from illegitimate sources – medicines supplied cannot be guaranteed to meet set standards of quality and safety – in short, you don’t know what you’re getting, where it came from or if it’s safe for you to take. If you have a specific health concern, our advice is to consult an appropriate healthcare professional, such as a doctor or pharmacist.”

Alcohol consumption peaks at 25, according to new study

A new study carried out by researchers from University College London and other universities in the UK has provided a better insight into the nation’s drinking habits.

Researchers involved in the study collated information extracted from nine different studies involving almost 60,000 people to see if or how alcohol intake alters over the course of a person’s lifetime. The data they looked at incorporated both men and women around the UK born in different eras, from a 34-year period – 1979 to 2013.

It was found that those in different age groups had varying drinking habits. Teenagers and those in their 20s tended to consume high amounts of alcohol, but rather infrequently, on only one or two occasions per week.

For men, alcohol consumption increased significantly in adolescence, reaching as high as 20 units consume each week by age 25 – this equates to about six pints of higher-strength lager, before then declining.

A pattern of drinking alcohol on a daily basis or on most days of the week was found to be more prevalent during mid-life to older age. A similar pattern was evident in women, but they tended to drink considerably less than their male counterparts (around seven to eight units a week).

By the age of 60, men were reportedly drinking an average of three to five drinks of beer each week, whilst by the age of 70, women reported consuming around one to two drinks a week.

The similar pattern across the sexes seems to be as follows: A fast increase in the volume of alcohol consumed during adolescent years that peaks in early adulthood, then a mid-life plateau, before a decline in the volume consumed in one sitting into older ages. However, as men age, the frequency of their alcohol intake goes up.

Dr Annie Britton, a senior lecturer in Epidemiology said: “Drinking once or twice a week was prevalent among adolescents and those in their twenties. Drinking only monthly or on special occasions was more common among women than men. I wasn’t shocked to see that alcohol volume changes over the life course, but the high proportion of older men drinking daily is a bit alarming. It raises concerns that they are becoming dependent on alcohol and there are risks in this age group mixing alcohol with medications.”

Although the study didn’t investigate factors related to these drinking habits, evidence from other research shows that people often reduce their alcohol consumption as they get older due to being worried about their health, weight issues or due to attending far fewer social occasions, according to Dr Britton.

The NHS states that men should avoid regularly consuming over 3-4 units of alcohol per day, whilst women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units per day, and those that have had a particularly heavy drinking session should not drink alcohol for 48 hours.

Back in October of last year Medical Specialists® Pharmacy began to provide help to those with alcohol addiction through the alcohol dependency treatment Selincro (nalmefene), and have since been inundated with requests for the treatment.

Selincro is ideal for heavy drinkers that are not in need of immediate detoxification, and whom have a high level of alcohol consumption 2 weeks after the first consultation with the doctor. This is defined as more than 60g of alcohol per day for men or more than 40g of alcohol per day for women. The great news for those who are prescribed it is that there is no risk of becoming dependent on Selincro.

Selincro’s active ingredient nalmefene works by latching onto certain opioid receptors in the brain that are responsible for addictive behaviour, altering their activity, thereby decreasing the urge to continue drinking.

Medical Specialists® inundated with requests for smoking cessation treatment in the run up to No Smoking Day

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are proud to support this year’s national No Smoking Day, which will be taking place on 11 March.

For those not aware of its origins, No Smoking Day is an annual campaign that has been running since Ash Wednesday in 1983, when it was known as ‘Quit for the Day’, although despite the name, it is obvious this one day is intended to be a sampler / springboard for a longer-term and more permanent quitting of smoking.

The campaign was initially led by a charity bearing the same name that operated in London with only four full-time staff, until it was then merged with the British Heart Foundation in 2011. The funds are provided by coalition of governmental and voluntary sector organisations looking to improve the nation’s health.

Each year there are an estimated one million smokers that use No Smoking Day to try and stop smoking. The No Smoking Day charity has previously claimed that about 1.5 million smokers have successfully managed to quit for good since its launch 32 years ago.

After experiencing a recent surge in the requests for smoking cessation treatment Champix, Medical Specialists® believe that this year, there could be potentially significantly more than just one million people trying to give up the cigarettes in Britain.

What the campaign doesn’t do is attempt to harass or force smokers into immediately stopping for good – the day is primarily for those smokers that want to quit, in addition to providing support prior to and after No Smoking Day, with the British Heart Foundation website offering information on national helplines, local stop smoking services and the chance to join a support forum.

The forum is an excellent way to get in touch with thousands of other fellow smokers looking to quit and lets people know they are not alone in their efforts to stub out. The forum is even moderated by ex-smokers that have successfully given up themselves.

As the name of the charity would suggest, the British Heart Foundation use their knowledge and resources to boost the public’s heart health, and provide information on the damage smoking does to the body, even detailing some of the toxic chemicals that smokers inhale with each passing cigarette – it certainly makes for grim reading.

The fact remains that smokers are at double the risk of suffering from a heart attack compared to people that have never smoked and smoking is the main cause of a multitude of cancers and lung disease.

Even with these health risks, some people still refuse to stop smoking. This could explain why last year the British Heart Foundation chose to reach out to smokers in other ways – namely highlighting the financial benefits of stopping smoking.

With the current financial climate, it is simply unfeasible to be regularly forking out £10 for a packet of cigarettes and skimp on food or even withhold paying bills.

The British Heart Foundation have even detailed what people could treat themselves to with the money saved from not buying cigarettes*.

For example, after…

1 Day – £8.50: two movie rentals / a new lipstick / download a new album
1 week – £59.50: a family cinema trip/ a pair of shoes / a meal for two
1 month – £255: a shopping spree / Premiership football tickets / a weekend break
3 months – £765
6 months – £1,530: a leather suite/ a home cinema / a top of the range bicycle
1 year – £3,102.50: a new kitchen / designer jewellery / holiday of a lifetime

*Figures based on a 20-a-day smoker paying £8.50 per packet of 20 cigarettes.

And if that wasn’t music to the ears of smokers, by quitting smoking they will earn extra pocket money on top of that already saved! Ex-smokers may now suddenly discover that life, home and car insurance are cheaper due to then being a non-smoker.

Medical Specialists® wish all smokers the best of luck for next weeks No Smoking Day. There is plenty of help at hand, from the British Heart Foundation’s ‘I want to quit’ page, their links to a forum and various nationwide stop smoking services, to smoking cessation treatment from Medical Specialists® like Champix, for a more longer term quitting strategy. This treatment can be obtained by an online consultation with one of our GMC-registered doctors, or by sending us a private prescription.

Acclaimed celebrity eyelash booster Lumigan now at rock-bottom prices from Medical Specialists®

In the past, women wanting longer, thicker more prominent eyelashes were probably put off by the high prices charged from certain websites for the wildly popular treatments Lumigan or Latisse. These products are so effective in fact that there are countless celebrity users and endorsers that include Brooke Shields, Claire Danes, Helen Mirren, Jenny McCarthy and Mandy Moore, to name just a few, and millions more around the world have been desperate to get their hands on the products to have luxuriously boosted lashes just like their favourite celebrities.

In fact, even The Telegraph published part of an interview with Academy Award winning actress Helen Mirren last year, where she sang the praises of Latisse. She said: “Quite honestly. I don’t really know what a beauty routine is. But I love beauty products, and I’m always trying new ones. One thing I consistently use is Latisse. It really works, and if your eyelashes look great, you can let a lot of other things be cr*p.”

Moreover, Danielle Lineker, model and wife of football legend Gary Lineker, offered beauty tips to The Mirror back in 2011 and spoke of the wonders of the eyelash booster. She raved: “This stuff really works!…It contains prostaglandin analogue that stimulates the eyelash follicles to grow hairs that are much longer, thicker and darker. I’ve had amazing results.”

Here is the great news…Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are delighted to announce eyelash booster Lumigan eye drops are now available to patients who want to grow longer and more luscious eyelashes. No longer will only the famous celebrities be able to afford the product, as Medical Specialists® – famous for its low prices – now offer Lumigan for the rock bottom price of just £49.95…Much more affordable than the £180 – £200 a bottle charged from other websites!

And to think all the hysteria from Lumigan has erupted by pure chance. Back in the early 2000s people suffering with raised pressure in the eye, for example in open-angle glaucoma, were starting to be prescribed the eye-drop solution Lumigan. The ingredient in Lumigan – bimatoprost – works by decreasing pressure inside the eye by increasing the drainage of fluid from the eye into the blood stream. Soon though, it was apparent there were some rather unexpected benefits from the drug.
During this period, eye doctors and their glaucoma patients began to notice a remarkable side-effect… longer, thicker, darker eyelashes were flourishing over time.

In disbelief at their wonderful finding, Allergan, the makers of the drug, didn’t hesitate to get Lumigan through the necessary clinical trials. Instead of focusing on glaucoma, they were now assessing the impact of Lumigan for a condition known as hypotrichosis – abnormally underdeveloped eyelashes or not sufficient to give you adequate or enough eyelashes.

Following FDA approval in 2008, the product was then launched with the name ‘Latisse’ and promptly marketed for its ground-breaking eyelash-boosting powers. After all, who doesn’t crave longer and lusher lashes? Boosted eyelashes have long been known to give us bigger and sexier eyes!
In respect of eyelash growth, bimatoprost, a synthetic analogue (mimic) of a naturally occurring chemical called prostaglandin, is also believed to be associated with hair growth, working to increase the length of the active hair growth phase.

You might be forgiven for being confused about Lumigan and the American branded version Latisse, and what differences there are – if any. The ingredients, concentrations of all the ingredients, and even the bottled it is supplied in, are all exactly the same. The only thing that separates the two is the packaging and the fact that Latisse is supplied with applicators.

Lumigan may have been first intended to treat glaucoma, but it is far from being the first occasion when a treatment developed with the intention of fighting a disease was later discovered to have other surprising side effects. Cosmetic Botox (also produced by Allergan) was initially used by ophthalmologists to suppress eyelid spasms, whilst Minoxidil (contained in hair loss treatment Regaine) was firstly used as an oral treatment for high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction treatment Viagra was initially concocted for treating high blood pressure and angina pectoris.

Backlash against NHS scheme offering free condoms to 13-year-olds

The NHS have been heavily criticised for offering a new scheme that offers free condoms, lubricant and sexual health advice to children as young as just 13.

The new ‘C-Card’ scheme is available to anyone aged between 13 and 24 years of age that meet certain criteria, and is being piloted by Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust in an effort to reduce the number of teenage pregnancies in addition to the number of youngsters catching sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia and genital herpes.

Those in possession of a C-Card can discuss sexual health issues at clinics, pickup free condoms and advice on using them and even obtain some lubricant.

The card use is limited however, with those aged 16 or over, able to use it up to six occasions, and youngsters between the ages of 13 and 15 are only permitted to use the card three times before it has to be renewed, which should raise the flag regarding teens engaging in repeated under-age sex.

Anyone with the C-Card can go to 30 venues in West Sussex, including in Shoreham, Steyning, Hassocks, Hurstpierpoint and Midhurst. Should the venture prove to be a success, it will then be rolled out nationwide.

However, the Family Education Trust campaign group have been vocal in criticising the new program, with a spokeswoman saying: “The role of parents and carers is vital in protecting young people as they are privy to emotional wellbeing, friendship groups and unusual behaviours. They are therefore uniquely positioned to intervene and safeguard.

“The C-Card scheme denies parents the opportunity to advise and protect their children against the physical and emotional consequences of sex.”

There are also fears that because the scheme is offering condoms to teens as young as 13, it is partly encouraging them to ignore the legal age of consent (16) and break it.

Campaign For Real Education group chairman Chris McGovern said: “Sexual Health West Sussex is aiding, abetting and promoting the breaking of the law on consent and should be subjected to criminal prosecution.”

Furthermore, The Mirror’s Carole Malone was particularly scathing in her judgement of the C-Card scheme, blasting: “Am I the only one who’s incensed that NHS condoms for 13-year-olds are being advertised on a hip looking website called areyougettingit.com?…What does this say about our society and how it regards sex when a state run health service is throwing condoms at kids…”

Carole doesn’t stop there though in her anger at the scheme: “It says we’ve given up trying to teach kids how to deal with the legal, moral and psychological issues of underage sex because it’s too hard. Instead the State is just making the assumption that they’re all at it like rabbits so let’s just try to minimise the damage.”

Cutting teenage pregnancy in the UK is clearly an issue the government will have to consider curbing sooner rather than later, with Britain having the highest teenage pregnancy rate across Western Europe – the latest available statistics show that over 1,500 young people in West Sussex were diagnosed with chlamydia in a single year.

Experts warn Drunkorexia epidemic is on the rise

The colloquial term ‘drunkorexia’ is probably unfamiliar with some people as it is not technically a medical diagnostic term, but it is one that may become better known in time as the problem threatens to escalate.

Although the term is relatively new, this increasingly serious condition is not. It seems more of us are inflicting a self-imposed torturous starvation and/ or are putting ourselves through overly excessive exercising, with experts warning a higher number of people are now skipping meals, depriving themselves of food in order to ‘save’ the calories for an episode of binge drinking later in the day.

It is believed that more and more women in particularly are drastically reducing their food intake so they can drink more wine. Dieticians coined the term ‘drunkorexia’ due to the fact they believe that their work with clients demonstrates an association between binge drinking and eating disorders.
Psychologists claim it is the labels on the drinks that list the alcohol’s high number of calories is partly to blame for encouraging those with eating disorders to ditch food for drink. The disorder therefore means those who ‘save’ on food calories are drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, something ill-advised as it massively amplifies the effects of alcohol.

Adrienne Key, consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Hospital, says that although the advertising of alcoholic calorie content is in the interest of most people, it can have dire consequences for those suffering with an eating disorder.

Speaking on Monday, she said: “Displaying calorie content on alcoholic drinks has been counterproductive for a small but significant proportion of society. When I started in the profession 20 years ago you would hardly hear of calorie swapping like this. But now we come about it fairly regularly. People who have not eaten will say, “I’m saving myself for a glass of wine. People are more likely now to use this as a method to control dietary intake in a disordered way.”

Despite the fact that alcohol itself doesn’t contain any fat in it, it is loaded with ‘empty’ calories with no nutritional value to the human body. Add mixers like Coca-Cola into the equation and it is easy to see how the calories start accumulating, and fast.

Whilst it is responsible to be conscious about the amount of alcohol calories going into your body – and possibly using an alcohol unit calculator to do this – it is not responsible to miss out on healthy, nutritional meals, not providing your body with energy, vitamins and minerals it so sorely requires.
Charity workers say the issue of ‘drunkorexia’ could also be afflicting men, despite the fact that it is women who are more likely to speak about the problem.

Susan Ringwood, from eating disorders charity Beat said that ‘drunkorexia’ is also likely to affect those that have not been previously diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Speaking to The Times, she commented: “We do see these cases, particularly when people are binge drinking at the weekend. It is not necessarily an eating disorder, but it is a disordered approach towards eating and people can easily find themselves trapped by it. If you are trying to live off one or two hundred calories a day, people find it easier to consume small amount of alcohol and briefly feel better than eat food.”

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy are now able to actually help those with alcohol addiction through the alcohol dependency treatment Selincro (nalmefene). This medication is suited for people who are heavy drinkers, but don’t require immediate detoxification, and whom have a high level of alcohol consumption 2 weeks after the first consultation with the doctor. This is defined as more than 60g of alcohol per day for men or more than 40g of alcohol per day for women. The great news for those who are prescribed it is that there is no risk of becoming dependent on Selincro.

Selincro’s active ingredient nalmefene works by latching onto certain opioid receptors in the brain that are responsible for addictive behaviour, altering their activity, thereby decreasing the urge to continue drinking.

Medical Specialists® Pharmacy offer 6 tips for a healthy heart for National Heart Month

With Valentine’s Day less than two weeks away, the second month of the year often causes pandemonium as couples all around the world, more than at any other time, use all the love in their heart’s to make that extra effort in showing their loved one how much they care.

There could be another reason to think about the heart this month though – for those unaware, February is National Heart Month. The month-long campaign is led by the British Heart Foundation as a way to urge the nation to think more about heart health, as well as to increase awareness about heart and circulatory diseases.

The campaign is one that is annually supported by Medical Specialists® Pharmacy as heart and circulatory diseases are the leading causes of death for adults in Britain. Heart disease comprises of conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart attack and heart failure. However, there are steps to take to help prevent heart problems.

. Cut down on alcohol intake

The NHS recommends that men should not drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day, whilst for women the figure stands at just 2-3 units a day at most, and consuming more than this can have a detrimental impact to your heart health. Excessive alcohol intake can raise the amount of triglycerides (a type of fat) in the blood and also lead to abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke and obesity from the additional calories you are taking in.  Cutting down on alcohol can be made easier through the help of Medical Specialists® Pharmacy, who have recently began to supply the alcohol dependency treatment Selincro to suitable patients, after being inundated with requests for it.

. Cut down on salt intake

It is recommended that an adult should consume no more than 6g of salt per day – around one full teaspoon. As food labels sometimes only give the figure for sodium, people might be unsure how much they are getting but the following formula from the sodium figure listed, can help: Salt = sodium x 2.5. Therefore, adults should consume no more than 2.4g of sodium per day; equal to 6g of salt. Unfortunately, many of us in the UK consume far more than the 6g limit. On average, people in the UK eat about 8.1g of salt (3.2g sodium) a day. Too much salt can increase the volume of body fluids increases and raise blood pressure. High blood pressure (hypertension) can then result in serious problems such as heart disease or stroke.

.  Cut down on sugar intake

The majority of food and drink products that contain plenty of added sugars, also contain a high number of calories, often having very little nutritional value. Consuming plenty of sugary food and drink on a regular basis can result in weight gain and obesity, thus risking health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Added sugars should comprise of no more than 10% of the energy (calorie intake) obtained from food and drink each day, which works out at around 70g for men and 50g for women, but can vary according to age, size, and how active a person is. Food and drink to consider cutting down on include: sugary cereals, fizzy drinks, sugary squash, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, sweets, cereal bars, cakes, ice cream, puddings and yoghurt.

. Stop smoking

Smoking causes damage to the lining of the arteries, thereby reducing the space for blood to travel through, with the carbon monoxide contained in cigarettes also effecting the amount of oxygen that can reach the heart and other areas of the body, forcing the heart to work much harder to supply the body with the oxygen it requires. The dangers of smoking are further explained on the British Heart Foundation’s website, but smokers are at double the risk of suffering from a heart attack compared to people that have never smoked and smoking is the main cause of a multitude of cancers and lung disease. Smoking cessation treatments such as Champix can help people quit smoking for good though and reduce the risk of heart problems.

. Keep active

Extra weight is widely accepted to be linked to increase the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes, and all of these conditions then make heart disease or stroke all the more likely. For those unsure if they are at a healthy weight, body mass index (BMI) is usually one of the first port of calls to check this. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, whilst a BMI of 30 to 39.9 is considered to be obese. Exercise is a great way to shed the pounds but the simple fact remains that much of the nation lives a sedentary lifestyle. The NHS recommends that one step in treating obesity is to take up activities such as fast walking, jogging, swimming or tennis for 150-300 minutes a week, but obesity treatments like Xenical – in conjunction with a healthy diet – can help with weight loss too.

. Lower cholesterol

Adopting a healthy diet and regular exercise, as previously highlighted, can lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, or prevent cholesterol levels being too high to begin with. The higher the cholesterol level, the higher the risk of stroke or heart disease and therefore the overall risk of having a heart attack. Statin medication such as Atorvastatin or Pravastatin work to lower the LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol and raise the HDL (‘good’) cholesterol, and may be prescribed to certain people with risk factors for heart conditions, such as those with high cholesterol or high blood pressure, older patients, smokers, or those with family history of early heart disease.

The British Heart Foundation’s webpage has more information about heart diseases and advice on how to beat them.  Moreover, the charity are encouraging the nation to show their support on 6 February by wearing red and hosting an event to raise funds for their life-saving research. Anyone can get involved, whether it is at the workplace, school or with friends and family, and there are loads of great ideas for fundraising and essentials such as the sponsorship form and event poster.