Internet is changing the medical information scene all over the world. The number of web sites dealing with health topics is increasing constantly. Access by patients to this kind of information through Internet is a reality. The pharmaceutical industry has to play an important role in this area; it has to supply information of quality to health professionals and to patients.
Patient’s information from pharmaceutical industry in Internet is mainly written in English. This presentation deals with patient s information in Internet in Perú and analyses specially information from a specific company (Pharmalab S.A.) in Perú. Different webs from this company are visited and patient's information is revised: a & quot;Patient's guide & quot;, a site which offers answers to questions that patients, their friends and relatives usually haw in some topics (cardiovascular, respiratory, infectious or metabolic diseases, etc.) and where all patients have to do is to select the topic and the question they are interested in: a specific web devoted to diabetes where patients can also ask for publications on this area.
Special emphasis will be put on the fact that patient’s information provided by the pharmaceutical industry through Internet is for educational use, and that it is not intended to provide medical advice as it does not replace the need to discuss appropriate patient care with a health care provider. It is also stressed that, according to regulatory requirements, regulations and laws in force in Perú, Internet is not used as a way to sell drugs or to promote prescription drugs.