Posted At PR Newswire

BY : Tom Raum

What's in a name?
According to the FDA, when it comes to drug names, you can never be too sure.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a warning claiming that there is a strong likelihood of medication mix-ups when buying drugs from outside the United States because several drugs have similar sounding names, but have very different ingredients.

Dr. Paul Zickler, President of DoctorSolve Healthcare Solutions (http://www.doctorsolve.com), an online pharmacy service, and Vice President of Medical Affairs for CIPA (Canadian International Pharmacy Association) dismisses this latest alert as yet another FDA scare tactic to stop cross- border drug shopping. "If the international pharmacy has the correct checks and balances in place, there is no need to be concerned about this happening," he states.


While acknowledging that there is an issue concerning the names of drugs, Zickler maintains that reputable online pharmacy services like DoctorSolve are taking steps to ensure that "drugs from them are as safe as drugs from your
corner pharmacy."

"At DoctorSolve, we personally tour all our pharmacies and provide them with a complete list of the medications we will be ordering from them. Each drug is listed with its brand name and its chemical name -- which is the same around the world regardless of where the drug originates, and its generic name if applicable. Medications from our pharmacies are randomly tested each month, and the results posted on our website. We have never had a case of counterfeit medication," he emphasizes.

As fodder for its report, the FDA cites an example of a Serbian pharmacist who provided a tourist with an incorrect drug refill after the patient ran out of medication. "This is clearly a case of pharmacy error, not a case for why ne shouldn't buy meds from international suppliers," states Zickler. "If the harmacist had a valid prescription, or even provided the refill from an empty ill bottle, which would have had the drug's proper brand name and chemical ame on it, this never would have happened. That's why at DoctorSolve, no drug rder is filled without a valid doctor's prescription, which is confirmed and eviewed by a licensed pharmacist. In addition, all of our medications are ouble checked to make sure they are correctly labeled and have clear nstructions for proper use."

While it's important for patients to know the proper names of their drugs, it's more important that they get them through a pharmacy service they know and trust. For many, that means shopping across the border. "In addition to saving an average of 40% on their prescriptions, our patients know we always have their best interests at heart. Unlike some government agencies, we've never played games with them, and we never will," Zickler states.

DoctorSolve, a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC Q37), offers lower-cost, long-term prescriptions. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best online pharmacies by PharmacyChecker.com. DoctorSolve has filled more than 200,000 U.S. prescriptions.