A prescription-only acne drug which may cause depression is being sold over the Internet without any health checks, it emerged today.
The British Medicines Control Agency has launched an investigation into how Roaccutane was bought online.
Journalists at BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast were able to buy it on one website without a prescription or any examination of their medical history.
The MCA said: "It is an offence to sell or supply a prescription only medicine except in accordance with a prescription issued by an appropriate practitioner."
Manufacturers Roche Products Limited, which does not have ultimate control over where the drug is sold, said it was "very concerned" by the discovery.
"Roaccutane should only be prescribed by a dermatologist following a thorough professional consultation," it said in a statement.
It said it was looking at ways to prevent sites from promoting and selling its prescription-only drugs directly to the public.
"However, they often operate in regions where the regulatory responsibility is not clear and regulatory powers not easily enforced."
Roaccutane carries a health warning that some people taking the drug may experience depression. Roche said no causal link had been established between Roaccutane therapy and depression.
PA