ArticleAnnals of family medicine
Availability of antibiotics for purchase without a prescription on the internet.
Article in Annals of family medicine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Quality of online pharmacies and websites selling prescription drugs: a systematic review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2011Pooled it
- Non-prescription antimicrobial use worldwide: a systematic review.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2011Pooled it
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Causal Relationship: A Complex Approach Between Medicine and Dentistry.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Review
- Antibiotic purchasing through online pharmacies: A mystery shopper study.Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2025Article
- Socioeconomic status and the risk for colonisation or infection with priority bacterial pathogens: a global evidence map.The Lancet. Microbe · 2025Review
- Optimizing Antibiotic Use: Addressing Resistance Through Effective Strategies and Health Policies.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Antimicrobial Use for Acute Respiratory Symptoms.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Community pharmacist intervention in doxycycline self-medication for acne among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia.Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society · 2024Article
- Socioeconomic status and the risk for colonization or infection with priority bacterial pathogens: a global evidence map.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2024Article
- Prevalence and Predictors of Using Antibiotics without a Prescription in a Pediatric Population in the United States.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Multifactor Quality and Safety Analysis of Antimicrobial Drugs Sold by Online Pharmacies That Do Not Require a Prescription: Multiphase Observational, Content Analysis, and Product Evaluation Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2022Article
- Survey on antimicrobial resistance knowledge and perceptions in university students reveals concerning trends on antibiotic use and procurement.Journal of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada = Journal officiel de l'Association pour la microbiologie medicale et l'infectiologie Canada · 2022Article
- Online Pharmacies Selling Prescription Drugs: Systematic Review.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Availability of Antibiotics for Veterinary Use on the Internet: A Cross-Sectional Study.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2021Article
- Prevalence of Antibiotic Purchase Online and Associated Factors Among Chinese Residents: A Nationwide Community Survey of 2019.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Article
- Over-the-counter antibiotic sales in community and online pharmacies, China.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2020Article
- Drivers of Antibiotic Resistance Transmissionin Low- and Middle-Income Countriesfrom a "One Health" Perspective-A Review.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Review
- Socioeconomic and Demographic Characteristics of US Adults Who Purchase Prescription Drugs From Other Countries.JAMA network open · 2020Article
- The Online Sale of Antibiotics for Veterinary Use.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2020Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeReducing inappropriate use of antibiotics is key to many antibiotic resistance initiatives. Most initiatives, however, focus almost exclusively on controlling prescribing by health care clinicians and do not focus on patient self-medication. The purpose of this study was to examine antibiotics available to patients without a prescription, a phenomenon on the Internet.
methodsWe conducted an Internet search using 2 major search engines (Google and Yahoo) with the key words "purchase antibiotics without a prescription" and "online (English only)." Vendors were compared according to the classes of antibiotics available, quantity, shipping locations, and shipping time.
resultsWe found 138 unique vendors selling antibiotics without a prescription. Of those vendors, 36.2% sold antibiotics without a prescription, and 63.8% provided an online prescription. Penicillins were available on 94.2% of the sites, macrolides on 96.4%, fluoroquinolones on 61.6%, and cephalosporins on 56.5%. Nearly all, 98.6%, ship to the United States. The mean delivery time was 8 days, with 46.1% expecting delivery in more than 7 days. Among those selling macrolides (n = 133), 93.3% would sell azithromycin in quantities consistent with more than a single course of medication. Compared with vendors that require a medical interview, vendors who sell antibiotics without a prescription were more likely to sell quantities in excess of a single course, and the antibiotics were more likely to take more than 7 days to reach the customer.
conclusionsAntibiotics are freely available for purchase on the Internet without a prescription, a phenomenon that encourages self-medication and low quality of care.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.