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Subscribe to RSSThe Food and Drug Administration is warning U.S. consumers that the vast majority of Internet pharmacies are fraudulent and likely are selling counterfeit drugs that could harm them.
The agency on Friday launched a national campaign, called BeSafeRx, to alert the public to the danger, amid evidence that more people are shopping for their medicine online, looking for savings and convenience.
Instead, they're likely to get fake drugs that are contaminated, are past their expiration date or contain no active ingredient, the wrong amount of active ingredient or even toxic substances such as arsenic and rat poison. They could sicken or kill people, cause them to develop a resistance to their real medicine, cause new side effects or trigger harmful interactions with other medications being taken.
"Our goal is to increase awareness," FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg told The Associated Press, "not to scare people away from online pharmacies. We want them to use appropriate pharmacies."
That means pharmacies that are located in the U.S., are licensed by the pharmacy board in the patient's state and have a licensed pharmacist available to answer questions. In addition, the pharmacy must require a valid doctor's prescription for the medicine. Online drugstores that claim none is needed, or that the site's doctor can write a prescription after the customer answers some questions, are breaking the law.
Research by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which represents the state pharmacy boards, found that of thousands of online pharmacies it reviewed, only about 3 percent follow state and federal laws. In fact, the group's website lists only a few dozen Internet pharmacies that it has verified are legitimate and following the rules.
Most consumers don't know that. An Internet survey, conducted by the FDA in May, questioned 6,090 adults. It found that nearly one in four Internet shoppers has bought prescription drugs online, and nearly three in 10 said they weren't confident they could do so safely.
The campaign comes after some high-profile cases of counterfeit drugs reaching American patients earlier this year.
In February and again in April, the FDA warned doctors and cancer clinics around the country that it had determined they had bought fake Avastin, a pricey injectable cancer medicine, from a "gray market" wholesaler. The fake Avastin vials originated in Asia or Eastern Europe and were transferred through a network of shady wholesalers before being sold to clinics by a wholesaler claiming to be in Montana.
In another case, the FDA issued a warning in May after learning consumers shopping on the Internet had bought fake versions of generic Adderall, a popular medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
No deaths or serious injuries have been linked to those fakes, but Hamburg notes that when drugs don't help patients get better, doctors usually blame the disease or assume a different medicine is needed. That means most fakes aren't detected.
So the FDA, which has put increasing focus on the counterfeiting problem, on Friday launched a website, www.FDA.gov/BeSafeRx , that shows consumers how to determine if an online pharmacy is safe.
"Buying prescription medicine from a fake online pharmacy can be dangerous, or even deadly," the site warns.
It includes tips on how to spot illegal pharmacies, links to state databases of licensed pharmacies and explanations of all the dangers of rogue pharmacies. Besides likely getting fake drugs, that includes the risk that they will infect your computer with viruses, sell your personal and financial information to other rogue websites and Internet scammers, or charge you for products you never ordered or received.
Many rogue pharmacies claim to be in Canada — because Americans know medicines are cheaper there and assume that's why they're getting a deal. Many fraudulent sites even put the word Canada in their name, or display the Canadian flag prominently on the site. Their web storefronts are slick and look professional. And they all offer prices that are unbelievably low.
"If the low prices seem too good to be true, they probably are,' Hamburg said.
The FDA is collaborating with several other federal agencies and departments and even Interpol in the campaign, Hamburg said, and it has asked medical and pharmaceutical industry groups to join in.
It's also reaching out to doctors, pharmacists and medical facilities to spread the word. They'll get access to materials they can download, from patient fact sheets and discussion guides to sample blog items and web banners for a practice's own website. There's also a list of tips to help doctors determine if a patient may be buying medicine online.
The agency will do a follow-up survey to see if the campaign's message is reaching the public.
"What's truly important to us is that consumers know how to look for an online pharmacy that's legitimate and safe," Hamburg said.
Related stories:
Congressional investigators claim "fake pharmacies" are popping up around the country that purchase drugs in short supply, and then turn around and sell them at higher prices. NBC's senior investigative correspondent Lisa Myers reports.
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How about the FDA telling people that there are legitimate Canadian pharmacies that are certified and give the web site of the Canadian certification body which gives access to its database to verify any Canadian pharmacy who purports to be certified. Yeah, they have a way to tell the good guys from the bad guys, surprise, surprise. With a little reciprocity with the Canadian government, the FDA could facilitate the ability of Americans to find and use legitimate online pharmacies. It's only a matter of the government will.
But wait - one of the roles of the FDA is to protect brick and mortar American pharmacies because everyone wants drug companies to make their profits off of Americans rather than equally across all countries. The FDA is an enabler interests which are not best interests of its American people, but hey the 5% can afford anything and with small, teabag-sized government, we can expect to dissolve the FDA because the "free market" will protect us and help the American people with their drugs needs. Apparently You only have to click your heels to together 3 times and really believe for this new order to succeed - at least if you are in tea party land, such as Kansas.
thats why I just smoke pot
Why would ANYONE think that what they buy from an unknown online "pharmacy" in genuine ... because they have a web page? Why not just buy from some guy in a trench coat on some street corner? hahaha
If the pharmaceutical companies quit giving physicians perks like trips, free office lunches, iPads, and stopped giving themselves 7 figure salaries, people would not have to resort to buying meds online. If you're buying your medication from an online pharmacy in India, then chances are you're going to get god-knows-what, but if you're getting your meds from a pharmacy in Canada, chances are you're getting what you order.
And so the real question here is why do so many people feel it necessary to go to on-line foreign pharmacies for their medications? Clearly anytime someone buys something from and on-line source there is the potential to be ripped off whether it is some fashion garment or their heart medication.
With fashion items or CDs or DVDs the only one getting hurt is the original producer who loses the revenues for those products to fakes. With medication there is the very real possibility of someone getting seriously injured or even killed. So why do we take the risk? Simple. Our present medical system is grossly overpriced and most patients are terribly underinsured.
The present administration has made an effort to address this to the extent possible but actually the whole system is broken in favor of the drug manufacturers. I have heard of numerous cases where the exact same drug from the exact same manufacturer has two seperate prices depending upon where it is purchased. That is enough evidence in my mind to prove fraudulent price gouging of the American consumer.
Since the FDA belongs body and soul to the various corporate entities that they regulate (personal opinion) of course they are going to go all out to convince the buying public that they are risking their lives by buying outside their own price controlled country. That may very well be true but for many it is worth the risk since it is for many necessary to buy overseas or do without because of the prices and lack of support. Now the GOP response to that is "tough." Well that is their opinion but I don't subscribe to that kind of unholy cynicism.
This is exactly why Govenment was created... to protect it's citizens from being over charged for goods and services.... The government sets the bar and informs it's citizens of what they should be charged for those goods and services... If you want to pay more it's your choice to pay more... and the people selling goods and services should be able to explain why thier goods and services are more expensive then what the Government suggested the price should be.... It's just that simple... We the people must demand this of our government or we will continue to self -distruct....
Just add the FDA to the huge list of governmnet organizations that need to be scrapped and replaced with a group whose goal is to actually protect the american consumer vice the lobbyist.
Lamitcal
Walmart $917.00
Canadian Pharmacy $108.00 includes shipping
Both name brand - not Generic
Any questions?