Why
Buy American?
Is it legal
to buy prescriptions from non-U.S. sources?
Why are the drug prices so high
in the U.S. compared with other countries?
Does the Canadian government condone
the use of web based sites selling to Americans?
What countries supply drugs to
online pharmacies?
What are counterfeit prescriptions
and how could they affect me?
Why is the FDA so concerned with
drug safety with drugs from other countries?
Is it legal to
buy prescriptions from non-U.S. sources?
No. All prescription drugs offered for import must meet the requirements of
the FDA Act. According to the agencies responsible for enforcing these laws,
prescription drugs imported for personal use generally do NOT meet these requirements.
Back
to Top
Why are the drug
prices so high in the U.S. compared with other countries?
The largest contributing factor for the higher cost of drugs in the U.S. is
that nearly all of the research required to bring a drug to market is performed
in the U.S. Therefore, we pay for the majority of these costs. In addition,
it is difficult to compare “apples-to-apples” with countries where
socialized medicine may be subsidizing drug costs to its citizens. These countries
often have income tax rates much higher than ours in order to pay for this
socialized medicine.
Back
to Top
Does the Canadian
government condone the use of web based sites selling to
Americans?
No. The Canadian government does agree with the U.S. that there is a lack of
control when drugs are sold through the internet. Furthermore, they are trying
to strengthen existing laws that dictate that all purchasers of prescriptions
be seen by a medical doctor in Canada prior to filling prescriptions. The recent
supply restrictions imposed by several drug manufacturers to Canada is putting
the pressure on the country to further control the industry.
Back
to Top
What countries
supply drugs to online pharmacies?
Countries include, but are not limited to Argentina, Costa Rica, Fiji, Mexico,
India, Pakistan, Philippines, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and the Bahamas. Recently,
shipments coming from Canada-based pharmacies contained pharmaceuticals from
some of these countries.
Back
to Top
What are counterfeit
prescriptions and how could they affect me?
Counterfeit or placebo drugs are those that look on the outside identical to
their prescription counterpart, but contain no active ingredients. A recent
analysis done by the FDA on drugs being imported found that 5% of the drugs
had no active, and that 67% of the drugs tested had no FDA approval for importation
into the U.S. Taking a medication without the active ingredients is the same
as skipping your medication altogether.
Back
to Top
Why is the FDA
so concerned with drug safety with drugs from other countries?
The FDA’s focus is on the safety of food and drugs. In addition to the
threat present in counterfeit drugs, allegations have been made that drugs
have been substituted that have only been approved for animal use and that
drugs that have been returned have been repackaged and resold. Both of these
are violations of the FDA.
Back
to Top
|
