McCain Amendment.
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) introduced an amendment to the Pharmaceutical Drug User Fee Act authorization bill that would create explicitly legal access to and facilitate safe and affordable medicine from Canadian pharmacies through a government list of online pharmacies. Sen. McCain should be applauded for continuing his efforts on this issue. Unfortunately, the amendment was voted down 43 to 54.
In his floor statements, predicting his amendment’s failure, Senator McCain communicated that too many of our elected representatives are beholden to the pharmaceutical industry. For that reason, we can expect future legislative actions to curb access to safe personal drug imports. Due to FDA’s current regulatory practices, Americans are not prevented from obtaining needed medications from verified international online pharmacies.
CBS News On Online Pharmacies and Drugs Safety
In a recent article, CBS News informs American consumers on critical issues of drug safety. When it comes to ordering prescription drugs online, especially from outside the United States, the article is clear that Americans should only shop from properly credentialed online pharmacies, such as those approved by PharmacyChecker.com.
Americans should take other precautions as well. For instance, you should only take prescription medications prescribed to you from your doctor. Check expiration dates to make sure your prescription product is still effective. Before taking medication, look at it closely for any indication something is not right, including disintegration or discoloration.
Online pharmacies discussed by world leaders at G8 summits
Leaders from the world’s most advanced economies discussed online pharmacies at the recent G8 conference. The topics discussed also included economic growth and development, food and nutrition, and international security. Global health experts criticized the G8’s agreement, as published in the Camp David Declaration, for an over-emphasis on intellectual property protection in its section that mentioned drug safety.
Americans who buy medication safely from properly credentialed international online pharmacies should be concerned about high level talks that address this issue. The pharmaceutical industry’s anti-consumerist positions on intellectual property rights are often overrepresented in such international organizations, and the industry seeks global action to shutdown safe international online pharmacies.
On the other hand, looking at the glass half-full, the Camp David Declaration makes clear that public safety – not intellectual property rights – are the goal in fighting rogue online pharmacies and counterfeit drugs: “To protect public health and consumer safety, we also commit to exchange information on rogue internet pharmacy sites in accordance with national law and share best practices on combating counterfeit medical products.”
We strongly support international actions to thwart the sale of dangerous medications online to protect both American and global patients. In fact, PharmacyChecker.com has been dedicated for almost a decade to evaluating online pharmacies in order to provide information about those that sell safe and affordable medication.
