British health authorities are issuing a new warning on a powerful prescription sleeping pill — zopiclone (brand names Zimovane and Imovane) — being sold online, often without a doctor’s authorization.

The drug can become addictive if used for more than a few weeks, and its ready availability through Web-based companies may increase its risks, the experts warn in The British Medical Journal (BMJ).
 
Paul Dargan and colleagues from the clinical toxicology unit at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, say regulatory authorities “must take measures to ensure that these websites comply with medicines and other regulations for the supply of this prescription only drug.”
 
So-called “Z drugs” are prescribed by a doctor only for short periods to ease symptoms of insomnia. While they are effective in the short term, they should not be used for more than two to four weeks because of concerns about dependence and addiction.
 
But the availability of the drugs online increases the likelihood of abuse of the drug, said the researchers. They noted the use of Z drugs has increased in recent years, as have related problems.

For instance, zopiclone was the sixth most common reason for calls to U.K. National Poisons Information Service’s online database, TOXBASE, in 2013-14, the investigators said.
 
The authors also reported on a case involving a patient who overdosed on 100 tablets of zopiclone purchased from an Internet site without prescription.
 
The new study identified 37 websites selling zopiclone tablets in quantities of up to 2,000. Thirty-five also sold similar drugs and 15 offered bulk purchase discounts.
 
Only one website stated that a prescription was needed to purchase the drug.
 
“Not only do these websites bypass necessary oversight required for supply, they provide access for vulnerable people who may buy it for self poisoning, suicide, or misuse,” the researchers said.
 
“Regulatory authorities need to ensure that appropriate measures are taken so that these websites comply with medicines and other regulations for the supply of this prescription only medicine.”