Operators who bypass pharmacies to prescribe and dispense drugs for erectile dysfunction over the phone have come under fire from a Federal parliamentary committee.
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing Roundtable Forum on Impotence Medications has tabled a report in Parliament that called for the practice of prescribing treatments over the phone to stop.
Centering the inquiry particularly on Advanced Medical Institute (AMI) – known for its 'Want Longer Lasting Sex' billboards – the committee found that men were often unaware that its treatments did not have to undergo clinical trials and said that AMI's exemption from compounding pharmacy regulations was not justified.
"The committee was alerted to the need for the regulations covering the prescription and supply of compounded medications to be tightened and for the use of telemedicine as a routine method of prescribing to be restricted," the report said.
President of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand Dr David Malouf said the inquiry had also rightly raised concerns over men who felt unable to exit their treatment contracts.
"We share the committee's concern over examples of financial hardship endured by patients locked in contractual agreements who were unable to get their money back when the treatments didn't work," Dr Malouf said.