Online Pharmacies | Online Pharmacy and Prescription Drug Review

NABP July 2011 Progress Report – Is Turning a Blind Eye Toward Needy Americans Really Progress?

On August 5, 2011, in Online Pharmacies, Online Pharmacy Verification Services, by Tod Cooperman, MD, President, PharmacyChecker.com, and Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com

In its July 2011 Progress Report, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) continues to do a disservice to Americans by classifying safe pharmacies in other countries as “rogue.” Out of the 8,000 sites “Not Recommended” by NABP, PharmacyChecker.com research shows 53 are safe international online pharmacies.

It is laudable and helpful to Americans when the NABP exposes truly rogue pharmacies, i.e., those that sell Americans fake drugs or even real drugs but without a prescription. However, the NABP has chosen, year after year, to lump in with these rogues, any pharmacy that is not based in the United States.

How can the NABP do this? Unfortunately, U.S. law says it is, under most circumstances, illegal for Americans to get their medicine from Canada or other countries. So NABP freely uses terms like “rogue,” “illicit,” and “illegal” when describing any foreign pharmacy. We see no reason to mislead the public into thinking that safe foreign pharmacies pose a danger and belong in the same group as rogue pharmacies. (more…)

U.S. News and World Report Highlights PharmacyChecker as a Way to Cut Drug Costs

On July 29, 2011, in Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies, by Margaret Rode, PharmacyChecker.com

PharmacyChecker.com was mentioned this week in a U.S. News and World Report article entitled How to Cut Your Drug Costs. Listed among other effective ways to save money on prescription drugs, the article notes that PharmacyChecker “compares prices of mail-order pharmacies, and can help you find the lowest posted prices.”

How to Cut Your Drug Costs reminds readers that buying drugs from Canada – and elsewhere overseas – is technically illegal, but it quotes AARP: “Over the past decade millions of Americans have ignored U.S. law to seek cheaper prices from Canada, most often by mail order.” Notably, AARP found Canadian prices for Lipitor to be about a third less than they are here in the U.S. The fact that the FDA has (to our knowledge) never prosecuted an individual for importing a three-month supply of personal, non-controlled drugs with a valid prescription, means that they too understand the importance of access to safe and affordable medication. (more…)

Tagged with: AARP • brand name drugs • Canada • chain stores • consumer guide • Costco • CVS • drug costs • drugs from canada • generics • Kroger • mail-order pharmacies • Medicare • medicare plan finder • patents • personal drug importation • prescription drugs • Target • U.S. News and World Report • Wal-Mart

Senator Schumer’s Crackdown on Rogue Online Pharmacies: A Smart Approach

On July 28, 2011, in Online Pharmacies, by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Margaret Rode, PharmacyChecker.com

Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) is calling for a crackdown on rogue online pharmacies to curtail prescription drug abuse. Senator Schumer’s emphasis is on stopping online pharmacies that sell drugs without a prescription, particularly addictive drugs, such as Adderall and Xanax, which are controlled substances. We commend Senator Schumer on his actions. Since we first began our own work in 2002, a key requirement for an online pharmacy to be approved in the PharmacyChecker.com Verification Program has been that it require a valid U.S. prescription before dispensing any drug to an American. We also require that any pharmacy selling controlled substances to Americans be based in the U.S. and comply with the Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008 – legislation intended to curb drug abuse.

This is not Senator Schumer’s first call to arms regarding online pharmacies. In 2006, he co-sponsored the Internet Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act (S. 399), a bill to curb the sale of prescription drugs over the Internet without a valid prescription. A press release from Schumer’s office noted, “the bill is geared to domestic Internet pharmacies that sell drugs without a valid prescription, not international pharmacies that sell drugs at a low cost to individuals who have a valid prescription from their U.S. doctors.” Unfortunately, S. 399 never became law. (more…)

Tagged with: Adderall • controlled substances • doctor training • drug abuse • Drug Enforcement Agency • illegal online pharmacies • Internet Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act • New York • Online Pharmacies • prescription • rogue online pharmacies • Ryan Haight Act • Schedule I • Schedule II • Senator Charles Schumer • United States • United States Department of Justice • Verification Program • Xanax

Web of Trust (WOT) and Online Pharmacies: PharmacyChecker.com Provides Clarity

On July 7, 2011, in Advocacy, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies, by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com

Over the past few years we’ve found that, despite many positive ratings from actual consumers, the most reputable and safe international online pharmacies are unfairly given low ratings on WOT. As an online community of people who are supposed to rate websites on their trustworthiness, this is clearly problematic. Last week we posted an article about online pharmacies as a forum discussion on WOT – MyWot.com – to share our analysis of why the best international online pharmacies are wrongly receiving poor reputations. It should be recognized that many dangerous online pharmacies, foreign and domestic, are appropriately rated poorly on WOT, but, as described below, that doesn’t excuse rating good websites as bad.

In summary, a handful of WOT’s “Platinum” raters (those that have provided more than 10,000 ratings) mostly look to the online pharmacy evaluations of LegitScript.com and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, both aligned with the interests of big pharmaceutical companies. By doing so, WOT users are serving the commercial interests of the pharmaceutical and U.S. pharmacy industries by giving a low rating to trustworthy and safe online pharmacies. This is wrong and hurts consumers.

Because WOT ratings are used to determine exposure on other sites, unwarranted low ratings of safe and affordable non-U.S. online pharmacies, which are actually trustworthy, can harm American consumers who can’t afford drug prices. Sadly, these low ratings may cause them to forgo needed medication by wrongly believing an affordable online pharmacy is dangerous and untrustworthy when in fact it is very safe and trustworthy.

Since we posted the article as a forum there has been mostly positive feedback (except about the length of the forum) and a frank discussion about online pharmacies, access to medication and Web of Trust.

Tagged with: affordable drugs • LegitScript • mywot.com • National Boards of Pharmacy • Online Pharmacies • platinum rater • ratings • U.S. pharmacy industry • Web of Trust • WOT

PharmacyChecker.com Submits Comments to FDA Regarding Online Pharmacies and Personal Drug Importation

On July 1, 2011, in Drug Importation, Online Pharmacies, Personal Drug Importation, by Margaret Rode, PharmacyChecker.com

Per the FDA’s invitation for regulation reviews and comments as listed by the Federal Registrar, our vice president, Gabriel Levitt, submitted PharmacyChecker.com’s positions and suggestions pertaining to online pharmacies and personal drug importation.

Our first point is that there is inaccurate information provided for consumers on the FDA’s website relating to online pharmacies and drug safety. Consumers are misled to believe that any pharmacy not located in the United States is dangerous, or non-reputable, while experience and studies show that properly verified international online pharmacies are safe. Additionally, the FDA’s website communicates that only FDA-approved drugs are checked for safety and effectiveness, a claim for which there is no basis. In fact, some so-called “non FDA-approved” drugs are the exact same drugs made by Pfizer or Merck, for example, just labeled or colored differently.

We then recommend revisions to Section 9.2 of the FDA Regulatory Procedures Manual Imports and Exports, which guides FDA practices in enforcing our drug importation laws. We recommend that FDA’s personal drug importation policy explicitly disallow government officials from seizing personally imported prescription orders destined for Americans that they know are genuine and dispensed pursuant to a prescription. The ethical and economic basis for our recommendation is that prescription non-adherence (not taking your meds) often furthers illness, leading to more emergency room visits, costing the nation hundreds of billions in healthcare dollars.

Finally, we ask that the FDA ban enforcement actions against foreign companies that are known to operate safe international mail-order pharmacies. Studies show that cost is the number one reason that Americans do not take their medications, and cutting off access to these safe and affordable pharmacies means fewer Americans will take their prescribed medicines.

Our full submission can be accessed here.

Tagged with: Consumer Information • Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0259 • Drug • Enforcement • FDA • NABP • Periodic Review of Existing Regulations

The Protect Intellectual Property Act – S.968 Will Prevent Access To Medicines

On May 31, 2011, in Drug Importation, Online Pharmacies, by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com

Last Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed S. 968, Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011, also known as the Protect IP Act. Its passage represents a real threat to Americans’ access to safe and affordable medications online and we hope that as the bill makes its way through the legislative process it will be amended appropriately.

Essentially, the bill will make it easier to crackdown on rogue pharmacy sites selling fake meds and not requiring a prescription, which is great; however, it will also encourage actions to block Americans’ access to reputable and affordable non-U.S. online pharmacies that sell genuine medication and require a prescription, which are a lifeline for uninsured Americans. That’s because of Section 5, which includes in its definition of “infringing sites” online pharmacies that sell medications to Americans that are not manufactured in a facility approved by the FDA. (more…)

Tagged with: Americans • Australia • Canada • cloture • Demand Progress • Electronic Frontier Foundation • Eli Lily • European Union • fake meds • FDA • First Amendment • GlaxoSmithKline • Google • legislation • Merck • Online Pharmacies • Pfizer • S.968 • Senate Judiciary Committee • Senator Wyden • The Protect Intellectual Property Act • UK • United States

RxRights Finds NABP’s Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program Misleads Consumers about Drug Safety and Personal Drug Importation

On May 17, 2011, in Online Pharmacies, Personal Drug Importation, by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com

A new post on RxRights.org explains how the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)’s Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program wrongly misleads consumers and the media by tagging all non-U.S. online pharmacies that sell to Americans as “rogue.” Essentially, that program’s list includes dangerous rogue online pharmacies along with reputable online pharmacies that meet high standards of safety but are simply not based in the United States. American consumers should expect more from pharmacy regulatory authorities and deserve to be properly informed. By adding properly verified international online pharmacies to the list, NABP scares Americans away from safe and affordable sources of medication. RxRight.org alerts the public that NABP’s program was sponsored with a grant from the drug giant Pfizer.

The post also deconstructs the ridiculous notion that only “FDA-approved” drugs are safe. It explains that the same exact drug purchased from a Canadian pharmacy (or any non-U.S. pharmacy) that is sold in the United States is “Not FDA-approved.” How can that be if it’s the same drug? There are many reasons, but one primary reason is labeling. FDA-approved drugs include approval of the drug’s specific labeling. That means that virtually all drugs sold in Canada that are compositionally identical to those sold in the United States are not “FDA-approved” because their labeling is different (such as including information in French and English), but of course they are equally as safe.

PharmacyChecker.com applauds RxRights.org for exposing misinformation campaigns sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry meant to scare Americans away from safe and affordable online pharmacies, wrongly inform the media, and shape our nation’s laws and regulations.

Tagged with: Canada • Canadian pharmacies • drugs from canada • FDA-approved • National Associations of Boards of Pharmacy • Not FDA-approved • Online Pharmacies • Pfizer • rogue pharmacies • RxRights.org • United States

U.S. Inquiry of Rogue Pharmacy Ads on Google

On May 13, 2011, in Online Pharmacies, Online Pharmacy Verification Services, by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com

Today the New York Times reported that Google is setting aside $500 million to settle what is apparently an investigation into whether it knowingly allowed rogue online pharmacies to advertise in its ad programs. We at PharmacyChecker.com are mentioned in this article because from the summer of 2006 until February 2010, Google’s stated policy was that its pharmacy advertisers had to be approved by PharmacyChecker.com, meeting our high standards. Unfortunately, as we have previously reported, rogue online pharmacies that never applied to our program found a way to advertise on Google. We were never the gatekeepers for Google; that remained their job.

In February of 2010, likely due to pressure from the government investigation and perhaps the pharmaceutical industry, Google changed its policy to exclude all non-U.S. online pharmacies from advertising on Google in the United States. It stopped working with us, as we do not exclude reputable and safe Canadian and other international pharmacies. Google began working with the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Site (VIPPS) program, run by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, a program that is only open to U.S. pharmacies. After this change, rogue online pharmacies apparently continued to advertise on Google. In November of last year, to take a stronger stance against rogue online pharmacies, Google filed a lawsuit against rogue online pharmacies, holding them liable for violating its advertising policies.

It appears that the gate through which advertisers enter Google has swung from too open, allowing in pharmacies never approved by us or others, to now just open a crack, where many good pharmacies offering good prices can’t get in. The $500 million allocated for a settlement is probably going to keep that door nearly closed for a while, but we hope that it will eventually swing to a place where rogues are kept out and good players get in. In the meantime, we remain diligently checking and monitoring online pharmacies. You can find them on our ratings pages and you can check their prices too.

Tagged with: Google • investigation • rogue online pharmacies

Americans Urged to Take Action to Stop White House from Blocking Access to Low Cost Medicine from Pharmacies Abroad

On April 5, 2011, in Advocacy, Online Pharmacies, Personal Drug Importation, by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com

For the past decade, millions of Americans have safely purchased low-priced medications from Canadian and other non-U.S. online pharmacies. Now it appears that the White House Office of the Intellectual Property Rights seeks to shutdown such online pharmacies because they are not on a “White List” being created by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), an organization that misleadingly categorizes all non-U.S. online pharmacies that sell to Americans as “rogue.” Already, 25 million Americans do not take their medication due to cost. With less access to affordable medication, fewer Americans will take the medications they need.

We urge you to write to President Obama and your congressional representatives, and demand that actions are not taken against online pharmacies that safely provide affordable medication.

For more news on this advocacy initiative, click here.

Tagged with: Advocacy • Americans • Canada • Congress • drugs from canada • intellectual property rights • international pharmacies • NABP • pharmacies • President Ob • rogue • safe medicine • skip medication • United States • White House

State of The Union For Prescription Drug Prices Not So Strong

On January 26, 2011, in Drug Prices, Healthcare Reform, Medicare Drug Plans, Online Pharmacies, Personal Drug Importation, by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com

In the State of the Union speech last night, President Obama highlighted prescription savings benefits in his otherwise brief coverage of new healthcare reform. As we’ve previously reported, and President Obama was clear to state, those prescription savings will go mostly to our nation’s seniors who are enrolled in Medicare. Beginning last September, many of America’s seniors received $250 rebate checks for prescription drug costs, a small step toward affordable healthcare. Better yet, starting this year, the coverage gap will narrow, with enrollees receiving a 50% discount on brand name drugs, and by 2020, a 75% discount. While the “doughnut hole” will not fully be closed, the savings will mean that far fewer Medicare enrollees will face exorbitant brand name drug prices out of pocket. (more…)

Tagged with: 50-64 • brand name drugs • discount • doughnut hole • health insurance • Medicare • personal drug importation • prescription drugs • President Obama • rebate • seniors • State of The Union • uninsured

Online Pharmacy and Prescription Drug Review

Discussing personal drug importation, online pharmacies, and drug prices on behalf of the American consumer