If you receive an e-mail or see a web page offering to sell you anything that cures, prevents, or treats Ebola, you can be sure it’s a scam. That’s because there currently aren’t any drugs that prevent or treat Ebola, though there are vaccines and treatments in the works. If you see any companies that sell these falsely marketed products, report them to the FTC or FDA.
For more, check out the FTC blog.
Drug Companies Front and Center at PSM Interchange Conference
Two weeks ago I brought you some highlights of the PhRMA-led Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) Interchange propaganda show, which was held on September 18th. Look over to the left. See that picture. Those logos of big pharmaceutical companies make it abundantly clear who is pushing the distorted message of PSM about personal drug importation and online pharmacies.
I’m not joking about the word “propaganda” applied to the PSM event. The online Merriam Webster dictionary provides the following definition for that word: “ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a cause, a political leader, a government, etc.” In this case, as I see it, the “cause” of PSM is the commercial agenda of the pharmaceutical and U.S. pharmacy industries cynically couched behind terms of patient safety. A central message of PSM is that Americans are risking their lives buying medication online from other countries and that there is no way to do so safely. Those are false and exaggerated messages that are potentially leading lawmakers and regulators to overreact and scare Americans from a potential lifeline of affordable prescription drugs. Evidence shows that this has been PhRMA’s communications strategy for more than a decade. (more…)
Each year, FDA participates in Pangea, a global operation that identifies and shuts down rogue Internet pharmacies, seizes allegedly dangerous medication, and arrests those responsible. We like that Pangea takes actions against rogue online pharmacies that threaten the public health. However, media stories about Pangea can frighten the American public away from safe online sources of affordable prescription medication because they often assert that foreign online pharmacies are all dangerous, which is absurd.
Thankfully, Dan Mangan of CNBC News reminded Americans last week that there are safe international online pharmacies. His article, “Patients cross borders for online deals on medication” explains that PharmacyChecker.com was created to help consumers avoid fake online pharmacies and have peace of mind when shopping for medication internationally. Lee Graczyk, head of RxRights.org, let them know why this is so important: “For some folks, this is the most viable way for them to fill their prescription at a price they can afford.”
The article points out that despite Federal restrictions, Americans purchase medication from outside the United States for personal use. Though the FDA does advise against personal drug importation (wrongly in our opinion), its enforcement is focused on large scale drug importation of medication by doctors, providers, or wholesalers, not individuals. In fact, FDA has never prosecuted anyone for importing medication for personal use. The article also brings up Maine’s recent law that removed state restrictions on personal drug importation. A similar bill was introduced in the South Carolina legislature.
Residents of these states want to facilitate drug importation to help people like Bill. As Mr. Mangan reports, Bill, a resident of New York City, was prescribed Copaxone for macular degeneration. Because Copaxone is not FDA-approved for that condition, Medicare didn’t cover it, leaving him with a ridiculously high out-of-pocket cost. At the suggestion of his doctor, Bill used a Canadian pharmacy. Instead of paying about $5,000 for a 28-day supply, he paid $1,200.
We’re happy with Mr. Mangan’s reporting, as coverage of crackdowns against dangerous pharmacy websites should include balanced information. His coverage included information collected from both supporters for and against personal drug importation and international online pharmacies, and he should be applauded for doing so.
