Public cautioned when buying medicines, drugs over Internet

By Marconi Calindas
Reporter

The Department of Public Health and PHI Pharmacy are reminding the public to take proper precautions when buying drugs and medicines online.

“There have been several reports of counterfeit and adulterated medications and reports,” said Commonwealth Health Center director of pharmacy Anthony E. Raho, referring to medicines dispensed by Internet pharmacies in Canada.

Ted Parker, vice president of the PHI Pharmacy on Saipan, echoed this, saying that he has heard of cases of people buying medicines and later finding the medicines to be contaminated. Later reports said that the drugs were not even manufactured in Canada but in Asia.

“In this case, I advise the public to take extra care in purchasing drugs online,” Parker said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been issuing advisories in response to the hundreds of drug-dispensing websites in business. It came up with safety tips and reminders on how consumers can tell which sites are legitimate. especially since it is very easy to set up a site that is very professional looking and promises deep discounts with less hassles.

The FDA said that the public is advised to be aware of the dangers that include several risks when buying drugs online:

* The public may receive contaminated or counterfeit product, which could also be the wrong product with an incorrect dose, or even no product at all.

* Taking these unsafe or inappropriate medications can put the public in danger because the drug can have harmful interactions with the body that lead to other serious health consequences.

* Websites that ask interested buyers to fill out a questionnaire without seeing a doctor could pose serious health risks. A questionnaire does not provide sufficient information for a health-care professional to determine if that drug is for you or safe to use.

* Avoid sites that do not identify who the buyers are dealing with, and those that do not provide a U.S. address and phone number to contact if there is a problem.

* Websites that have access to a registered pharmacist who can answer questions are the most favorable sites with the best security mechanisms that could protect the public with regard to their Social Security number, credit card details, and health history. “Unless the public is confident that the site will protect them, make sure the sites do not share your information with others without permission,” FDA said.

* The public is further advised not to purchase from foreign websites for the time being because it is illegal to import the drugs bought from these sites. “The risks are greater and there is very little the U.S. government can do if you get ripped off.

”FDA is suggesting that the public should check with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy through their website www.nabp.net, or tel. no. (847) 698-6227 to find out whether a pharmaceutical website is a licensed pharmacy in good standing.