For sale on Craigslist: extra insulin

People who rely on insulin to control their diabetes have come up with a number of strategies for coping with the drug’s cost, from rationing it to stocking up in Canada. A new study raises the possibility that some people are turning to Craigslist. Researchers studied ads for a number of prescription drugs on the online marketplace and learned that insulin was the most commonly advertised product and was typically offered at a discount. Sellers often reported they had a surplus or had leftover from a relative who had died. Buying prescription drugs on Craigslist is illegal (and violates Craigslist policy), and the researchers did not study how often purchases were being made. But, the report’s authors wrote, “the content of many advertisements raised safety concerns about the quality and safety of the medications being sold.”