A leading online pharmacy selling opioids to private patients and backed by celebrities is under investigation by the regulator, The Times can reveal.
UK Meds is owned by Mason Soiza, a 24-year-old alleged internet spammer who once registered an escort website, and his father, Joe.
Despite concerns over the site’s prescribing methods, the business has proved so profitable that it has allowed Mr Soiza to buy a £215,000 gold Lamborghini and a £100,000 watch, while his father owns a £160,000 Aston Martin. The website sells a range of medications including highly addictive opioids and anti-insomnia drugs such as codeine and zopiclone.
It is endorsed by Christian Jessen, a doctor famous for presenting Embarrassing Bodies on Channel 4, who has filmed videos for the website despite previously criticising online pharmacies. Financial backers include the footballers Michail Antonio of West Ham and Henri Lansbury of Aston Villa.
Customers do not need a prescription in advance and instead complete a free “online consultation”, which is then reviewed by a doctor employed by a Romanian company.
The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which regulates online pharmacies, said it had received unspecified “concerns” about UK Meds in February and was investigating.
Separately, patient groups and charities have raised concerns about the design of the online consultation form. If someone seeking a codeine prescription selects “yes” in answer to a question about whether they are under the care of a psychiatrist a red box appears stating: “Sorry, we can’t supply you with this medication. Please consult your GP.” However, a customer is then able to change their answer to “no” and continue with the order.
Mr Soiza also owns a cottage in Nottinghamshire. His website is endorsed by the TV doctor Christian Jessen, right
If the order is approved by a doctor from the Romanian company EU General Practitioners SARL, medicines are despatched from two UK pharmacies.
Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), said it was “deeply concerning to hear about patients buying prescription medication from . . . online prescribers who have limited or no access to their full medical records when issuing prescriptions for potentially dangerous medications”. “Put simply, these services are putting our patients’ safety at risk,” she said, adding that the RCGP supported the introduction of stricter regulation of online pharmacies.
Lucy Watson, chairwoman of the Patients Association, raised concerns about patients declaring their own diagnosis. “Patients need to be given the medication that meets their needs after a consultation with a trained doctor, in which the patient plays an active role in discussing their options and deciding what’s right for them,” she said.
Harry Shapiro, director of the advisory group DrugWise, said that those using online pharmacies such as UK Meds could be trying to get hold of a medicine that a GP “may or may not be prepared to prescribe”.
One of the questions asked of patients seeking opioids is whether they believe that they “may be addicted to opiate/opioid painkillers”. “Nobody is going to answer yes to a question that is quite obviously designed for you to say no to,” Mr Shapiro said.
The GPhC is consulting on whether it is appropriate for online pharmacies to allow patients “to choose a prescription-only medicine, and its quantity, before having a consultation with a prescriber”.
Mr Soiza’s father, Joe, has an Aston Martin
UK Meds, which is regulated by the GPhC and approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to sell medicines online, was set up in 2016 by the Soizas and appears to be highly profitable. The Soizas have lent themselves more than £1 million, with about £900,000 outstanding. As well as owning luxury cars the pair live in plush houses in the Nottinghamshire countryside.
Mason Soiza has a colourful past and last year was accused of buying up software plugins and inserting code that put unwanted “spam” links on the WordPress pages of unsuspecting users. The code allegedly sought to benefit websites including Payday Loans Now, and City of Escorts, a now defunct Nottingham-based escort agency whose website was registered in Mason Soiza’s name. Both men are present or former directors of Soiza Internet Marketers, which owns Payday Loans Now.
A spokesman for Mason Soiza said that he previously ran a web design agency and that the escort website was one of multiple domain names he owned on behalf of a variety of businesses. They accepted that he had bought WordPress plugins and inserted code but disputed that this was malicious code and denied he was a spammer.
Investors in UK Meds include the footballers Antonio and Lansbury, as well as David McGoldrick, who spent last season as a striker at Ipswich Town. They all have small stakes in the company after being introduced by Dexter Blackstock, an agent and former footballer. Mr Blackstock said he had carried out due diligence and had consulted a lawyer who told him that UK Meds was “doing everything by the book”.
UK Meds has produced a number of videos featuring Dr Jessen explaining different health conditions. It features his image on the website with the words, “UK Meds is proudly working with Dr Christian Jessen”. The celebrity doctor has previously railed against online pharmacies. In 2015 he told his Twitter followers: “DONT BUY ANYTHING ONLINE! YOU NEED PROPER ADVICE AND HELP — PLEASE SEE YOUR GP X”.
A spokesman for UK Meds said the company was a “responsibly run online healthcare portal, which is actively campaigning for the highest safety standards to be introduced across the industry”. They said it complied with all regulations and that it was “proud of our industry-leading safety procedures, which are more robust than those of many competitors and include ID checks and personal statements”.
