§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of websites based in the UK that are offering for sale(a) licensed, (b) unlicensed and (c) both licensed and unlicensed medicines; if he will list those sites his Department has identified; and if he will make a statement. [38820]
918W
§ Ms BlearsAn accurate figure for the number of websites based in the United Kingdom offering medicines for sale is not known because websites are opened and closed often with very short timespans, which makes quantification extremely difficult. Furthermore sites are often routed through many Internet Service Providers to disguise their origins. Therefore it would be disproportionate to investigate the origin of all sites.
The Medicines Control Agency takes appropriate action against any website of which it is aware that is operating within the UK in breach of UK law and regulations.