A woman died yesterday after taking an overdose of a prescription drug she bought online without a prescription.

She was taken to Shanghai 10th People’s Hospital at Tongji University.

“She developed liver failure very soon after arriving at the hospital,” said Zhuang Yugang, an emergency room doctor at the hospital.

The woman’s brother said she bought the medicine from three pharmacies using drug purchase app yaofangwang, Shanghai Television reported on Wednesday. The drug is used to treat gout, and the maximum does is six tablets a day, doctors said.

Regulations ban sales of prescription drugs online. Violators can face a fine of up to 30,000 yuan (US$4,400).