Few Buy Medicines Online, Study Says

Few American adults have bought prescription drugs via the Internet, despite rising drug costs and increased pressure to import less expensive drugs from abroad, according to a study released Sunday.

Four percent of 2,200 U.S. patients surveyed said they had purchased their medicines online, and nearly all of them said they would do it again, the study found.

The Pew Internet & American Life Project found most of those who bought drugs over the Internet -- about 75% -- said they used them to treat a chronic condition, including arthritis and high blood pressure.

The rest said they bought drugs to lose weight, improve sexual performance or some other purpose, according to the independent think tank’s study.

About 63% of all Internet users surveyed said they had received spam e-mail for sex-related drugs like Pfizer Inc.’s erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, and 55% said they had received spam for other prescription medicines.

The telephone survey, conducted in May and June, has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 to 3 percentage points. The Pew Charitable Trusts funded it.

About 26% of Americans used the Internet to research information about prescription drugs, but most respondents said they did “not fully trust” the online marketplace. More then 60% said they thought drugs bought through the Internet were not as safe as those purchased from a local drug store.