by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Nov 24, 2010 | Online Pharmacy Verification Services
Click on the seal to test its validity and view the online pharmacy profile.
Just last week the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously voted for a bill – Combatting Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act – to crackdown on websites selling counterfeit products, which will include rogue online pharmacies. This could be a great thing for patient safety. However, critics argue that, if enacted, provisions in the bill will stifle free speech protected under the First Amendment, and may lead to overreaching government activities, including shutting down online pharmacies that are a safe lifeline of affordable prescription medication for American consumers. The bill raises an important topic for consumers: How do you find affordable medication online while staying away from dangerous counterfeit drugs?
Counterfeit drugs can hurt and kill those who take them. And, while the hard data is scant, experts agree that the Internet provides a channel for the sale of counterfeit drugs and some consumers fall victim to rogue online pharmacies that sell them. As AARP reports, due to the high prices of prescription drugs in the United States, millions of Americans go online to find affordable medication but in doing so put their health at risk. PharmacyChecker.com helps consumers identify websites that market and sell safe and effective drugs at an affordable price, and to avoid dangerous counterfeit drugs. Other verification services and trade associations also evaluate online pharmacies, but we believe our program is the most independent and useful for the American consumer. (more…)
Tagged with: affordable prescriptions, Canada, Counterfeit Drugs, Dr. Ram Kamath, Drug Prices, European Union, international pharmacies, Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, Online Pharmacies, Online Pharmacy Verification Services, pharmacychecker.com, save money, Senate Judiciary Committee, seniors, United States, Verification Program, VIPPS, Wal-Mart
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Jul 8, 2010 | Big Pharma
The LegitScript network of “approved” online pharmacies includes connections to rogue pharmacies, although this is something that LegitScript prefers not to disclose. In 2008, Cardinal Health, which has a number of LegitScript-approved Internet Pharmacies within its retail network, paid a settlement of $34 million to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for allegedly shipping controlled substances to illegitimate online pharmacies. According to then DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart:
“Cardinal’s negligent conduct contributed to our nation’s serious pharmaceutical abuse problem. This substantial civil penalty underscores DEA’s determination to prevent pharmaceutical diversion and protect the public health and safety by continuing to hold companies responsible if they fail to fulfill their obligations under the Controlled Substance Act.”
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Tagged with: Cardinal Health Network, controlled substances, Counterfeit Drugs, LegitScript, Online Pharmacies, Online Pharmacy Verification Services, pharmaceutical companies, rogue pharmacies
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Jun 18, 2010 | Online Pharmacies
The FDA issued a warning that it had purchased counterfeit Tamiflu, sold as “Generic Tamiflu,” from an online drugstore that is no longer accessible. It’s believed that the product is still available online. The mystery purchaser did not have to provide a prescription even though Tamiflu is a prescription-only product. PharmacyChecker.com advises consumers not to use pharmacies that do not require a prescription. Online pharmacy-members of the PharmacyChecker.com Verification Program must require prescriptions and be licensed by their respective pharmacy regulatory authorities or equivalent body.
Tagged with: Counterfeit Drugs, FDA warnings, Online Pharmacy Verification Services, tamiflu
