Consumers Still Buying Risky Drugs Online

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007
by usrbingeek

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to stop buying drugs online as it can put them at risk and it can also be more expensive than purchasing the drugs locally.

The FDA warns:

Consumers should be aware of safety concerns of drugs purchased from unregulated Internet sellers since some of these drugs might:

require careful dosing and monitoring;

not have adequate labeling for safe use;

be inappropriately packaged, therefore product integrity is uncertain;

have been withdrawn from the U.S. market for safety or efficacy reasons;

may carry risks that require initial screening and/or periodic patient monitoring;

cause harm—such as a controlled substance (narcotic), whose use should be supervised by a doctor or health care professional due to abuse potential; and

have clinically significant drug-drug interactions.

In addition many of the sites that claim to sell drugs online are actually identity theft mills, and are set up only to collect personal and credit information in order to steal unsuspecting persons’ credit.

The FDA has found that many of the prescription drugs purchased online are already available in the U.S. as generic drugs and many can be purchased for significantly less than those sold by Internet sellers.

Drug Product	Common Intended Medical Use
TABLE 1: Examples of intercepted drugs available as low-cost generic products in the U.S.
Amoxicillin Capsules	Antibiotic
Atenolol Tablets	High blood pressure
Fluoxetine Capsule	Depression
Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) Tablets	High blood pressure (diuretic)
Isotretinoin Capsules	Oral anti-acne
Levothyroxine Tablets	Thyroid hormone replacement
Lisinopril Tablets	High blood pressure
Meloxicam Tablets	Inflammation
Metformin Tablets	Diabetes (blood sugar levels)
Metoprolol Tartrate Tablets	High blood pressure
Methotrexate Tablets	Anti-cancer
Nifedipine ER (extended release) Tablets	High blood pressure
Paroxetine Tablets	Depression
Phenytoin Capsules	Anti-seizure
Prednisone Tablets	Inflammation (steroid)
Simvastatin Tablets	High cholesterol
Tamoxifen Tablets	Anti-cancer
Warfarin Tablets	Blood thinner

Drug Product	Common Intended Medical Use
TABLE 2: Examples of intercepted drugs with particular associated risks
Alendronate sodium Tablets	Osteoporosis
Amoxicillin Capsules	Antibiotic
Celecoxib Capsules	Osteo- and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Clopidogrel Tablets	Blood thinner
Isotretinoin Capsules	Oral anti-acne
Levothyroxine Tablets	Thyroid hormone replacement
Methotrexate Tablets	Anti-cancer
Prednisone Tablets	Inflammation (steroid)
Phenytoin Capsules	Anti-seizure
Warfarin Tablets	Blood thinner
Zolpidem Tablets	Insomnia

[tags]health, prescription drug, drug, buy prescription drugs[/tags]

3 Comments

Nina Baloun

July 3rd, 2007
at 2:11pm

Are the drugs all legal or are there illegal drugs sold?

Daniel

July 13th, 2007
at 12:30pm

As long as pharmaceuticals exist cheaper outside of the United States, citizens will continue to purchase them through distance based pharmacies such as the one I work for in Canada.

Time and time again I hear of people (whether they are seniors, uninsured and destitute) that are making the choice between food, bills and their medicine. Quite often the medicine is not purchased or under utilized (patients taking half or quarter doses instead of their full dose).

Instead of fear mongering, the FDA should act more responsibly and provide details that consumer should look for in a legitimate pharmacy. These include:
1) A pharmacy license
2) A physical address
3) The ability to call and speak with a human being
4) The need to provide a prescription on medicines that are prescribed.
5) The absence of controlled/narcotic/questionable substances
6) Memberships to various legitimate organizations such as national consumer groups, BBB, etc.

As an employee of an distance-based (or internet) pharmacy, I know that we are often lumped in with illegitimate websites. Its an unfortunate fact that is not helped by the FDA and big pharmaceutical company propoganda machines. The only thing I can say is response:
1) Contact your potential pharmacy on a few occasions to ensure everything is consistent
2) Make sure that they offer the 6 points noted above
3) Contact their provincial/state regulatory body if you still feel unsure to check their licensure.

To Nina, the pharmaceuticals true Canadian pharmacys provide are typically maintenance medications to deal with issues such as high cholesterol, hypertension, smoking cessation and dermalogical problems. Under no circumstances do we offer controlled, narcotic or questionable products.