Posted At Diabetes Self-Management
BY : Advocate.com Staff
Some online pharmacies that claim to be Canadian may in fact be selling drugs from other countries, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement on its Web site in December. Over several days in August 2005, FDA investigators ran a sting operation called Operation Bait and Switch at three major U.S. airports. Having previously noticed that drugs ordered from some so-called Canadian Internet pharmacies actually came from India, Israel, Costa Rica, and Vanuatu, the investigators intercepted parcels from those four countries and inspected the ones thought to contain prescription drugs.
Of the nearly 4,000 packages inspected, 43% had been ordered from pharmacies that claimed to be Canadian. Of these Canadian drugs, only 15% had actually originated in Canada; the rest had been manufactured in 27 different countries. Testing the drugs for purity, the investigators found that 32 samples were counterfeit.
Though high prescription drug costs have prompted some people to buy their drugs from Canada, the practice is technically illegal. Opponents of buying Canadian drugs, which include the FDA, say buying drugs made outside the United States can be dangerous. Though it's reasonable to assume that a legitimate Canadian drug is safe, other countries do not impose the same safety and quality standards that the FDA imposes on U.S. drug makers, and drugs may not contain the right amount of the active ingredient or may be contaminated. Proponents of buying drugs from Canada to save money say that it's safe as long as people use reputable pharmacies. For more about how to avoid being scammed by fake Canadian pharmacies, check out this article from the AARP Bulletin. The FDA lists tips and precautions for buying drugs online on its Web site as well.
