Background and Objectives. Medicines purchased abroad or on foreign websites may not meet the quality standards set in Denmark, which may affect the safety of medicines use. The Danish Medicine Authority has established and published specific regulations for foreign medicines purchases. This study aimed to investigate the habits of foreign medicines purchases and familiarity with the existing regulations when purchasing medicines abroad among young Danes.
Methods. An online questionnaire survey using convenient sampling via Facebook was conducted in April 2021. Descriptive statistic was used for analysis.
Results. In total, 292 individuals (80% women, 89% under the age of 30 years, 58% with academic education) responded; 101 (35%) had bought medicines abroad or on a foreign website. The most frequently purchased medicines were pain relievers (48%), dermatological drugs (34%), herbal remedies and vitamins (29%), antihistamines (21%), and antibiotics (20%). The reasons for buying medicines abroad were lower prices than in Denmark (50%), medicines not being marketed (36%), or requiring a prescription in Denmark (34%). Only 27 (9%) examined the Danish regulations for purchasing medicine abroad or from foreign websites.
Conclusions. One-third had experience with foreign medicines purchases. Pain relievers and dermatological drugs were the most popular choice, and the lower price was the most common reason. Among those purchasing medicines abroad, less than one-third examined the Danish regulations for medicines purchases abroad, indicating a need for better dissemination of information about medicines safety when buying medicines abroad among young Danes. The generalizability of these findings should be confirmed in further studies.