TravelPharm

Refused non-prescription medicine

Despite being a doctor of considerable experience in my specialist field of tropical medicine I was refused Proguanil (a non-prescription antimalarial). Travel Pharm uses an advisory site that has a disclaimer that says it does not have professional back-up yet overruled my request on the strength of this. When I visited the country in question I double checked the advice and found it quite wrong as I had said in the first place, based on WHO advice which is much more reliable.

In my assessment Travel Pharm was completely unprofessional in not supplying the medicine and is in danger of giving the wrong advice to travellers.

25 February 2013

Reply from www.travelpharm.com

All our customers are treated with the same high standards and the website we use www.nathnac.org is commissioned by the Health Protection Agency(responsible for all of the UK citizens health).It does have a professional advice line for professionals only.
Proguanil (Paludrine) is a pharmacy only medicine and can only be sold when the pharmacist is confident it is being used in accordance with its product licence.
A doctor can always write a prescription if he/she wants to use a product outside its licence use.
All our sales regarding anti malarials are backed up by evidence to illustrate the right product is being used for the right country. Rob McDonald Superintendent Pharmacist (Qualified in 1989)