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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

To the Editor: Although Dr Baker and colleagues¹ found that 5% of respondents purchased prescription drugs online and 4% searched for the cheapest place to buy prescription medicines, it should not be assumed that these medicines were purchased from US Web sites. A wide range of medicines can be bought from many countries via Web sites selling medicines directly to consumers. Some of these countries do not have adequate regulatory frameworks to support the safe and appropriate use of medicines.²

Although Baker et al found that almost no respondents had obtained prescriptions online, this may be an underestimate because actual prescriptions are not always required to purchase prescription medicines via the Internet. In 2001, 20% of 104 global Web sites selling pharmaceuticals did not require a prescription.³ Perhaps consistent with this, US Customs estimated that approximately 2 million parcels containing scheduled medicines for personal use enter the United States each . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Tracey Bessell, MPH, PhD; Jeremy Anderson, MBChB, MSc(Epid), MD, FRANZCP
Monash Institute of Health Services Research
Monash University
Melbourne, Australia

Lloyd Sansom, AUA(Pharm), PhD
School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
University of South Australia
Adelaide

Janet Hiller, DipSocSt, MPH, PhD
Department of Public Health
University of Adelaide
Adelaide

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