Anatomy of a Fake Canadian Online Pharmacy

by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Jul 3, 2013 | Advocacy, Drug Importation, FDA, Online Pharmacies

For those of us looking online for safe and affordable medication, it’s very disconcerting to hear about the problem of fake Canadian online pharmacies, or any fake online pharmacy, and the myriad ways they can endanger your health, such as by sending counterfeit or substandard medication or engaging in identity theft.  We can help you avoid the bad guys.

Just last week the FDA reported that – through Operation Pangea VI – thousands of illegal online pharmacies, including fake Canadian ones, were shutdown to protect Americans from dangerous medication.  The FDA should be applauded for shutting down dangerous sites. However, even though there are real Canadian and other international online pharmacies that are safe and have very low drug prices, the FDA continues to warn Americans not to use them through its BeSafeRx program. We believe this confuses Americans about what they need to do to obtain prescribed and affordable medication safely online.

A fake Canadian online pharmacy is essentially a website dressed up with the Canadian flag, maple leafs, with red and white colors, or other graphics of Canada, but without actual ties to Canada. In fact, a majority of so called “Canadian” online pharmacies are based overseas, many in Russia and Eastern Europe. Some of them are even known to have ties to organized crime. Simply put, they are not Canadian pharmacies. Like all rogue online pharmacies, fake Canadian online pharmacies often:

1. Don’t require prescriptions;
2. Don’t publish verifiable and useful contact information;
3. Don’t fill orders through licensed pharmacies;
4. Don’t sell real or safe medications;
5. Don’t have licensed pharmacist dispensing your prescription order; and
6. Don’t protect your personal and financial information.

A real Canadian online pharmacy offers the following:

1. Regulated medications that are approved by a respected national drug regulatory authority;
2. Prescription fulfillment through licensed pharmacies, dispensed by licensed pharmacists;
3. Requirement of your valid prescription, issued by your doctor – NOT through an online questionnaire;
4. Verifiable contact information, including telephone number and mailing address;
5. Online pharmacy operation by or affiliated with a licensed Canadian pharmacy; and
6. The ability for consumers to speak with a licensed pharmacist for counseling;.

You can find real Canadian online pharmacies on PharmacyChecker.com. We have verified that they meet critical safety criteria.

There are a small number of real Canadian online pharmacies that no longer work with a Canadian bricks and mortar pharmacy because they have transferred prescription fulfillment to licensed pharmacies in other countries. They retain the Canadian moniker or have the word “Canada” in their web addresses to keep their original branding and website.  That doesn’t mean they are not safe. However, they ought to be transparent and disclose that medications ordered come from pharmacies outside of Canada.

This brings up an important side note: where are your medications really coming from and who is making them? When you buy a prescription medication at your local U.S. pharmacy that does not mean it was made in the United States. Almost half of all prescription drugs sold in U.S. pharmacies are imported.  Furthermore, U.S. pharmacies do not inform you who made the active ingredients (the main ingredient that treats you) – in the medication you are taking. Most active pharmaceutical ingredients – 80% according to the FDA – found in U.S. pharmacy prescription drugs are made outside the U.S., mostly in India and China. If you buy a prescription drug from Canada and most other countries the same holds true. Don’t despair, the U.S. and many other countries have strong safety protocols to protect their prescription drug supplies: those same supplies usually just cost much more in the United States.

Here’s a chart to show you the difference between real and fake Canadian online pharmacies. As you’ll see it’s like day and night: