To save money, millions of people in the U.S. who do not have insurance to cover the full cost of medicines purchase drugs by mail from online pharmacies abroad. A major attraction of online pharmacies abroad is that nearly every country, except the U.S., controls its drug prices. Shoppers can easily obtain 50 to 80 percent or more savings on U.S. prices at foreign pharmacies.[3]
Very rarely are these orders investigated because U.S. authorities are much more worried about controlling illegal pharmacies in the U.S., not consumers themselves.[citation needed] The Washington Post reported that "...millions of Americans have turned to Mexico and other countries in search of bargain drugs...U.S. Customs estimates 10 million U.S. citizens bring in medications at land borders each year. An additional 2 million packages of pharmaceuticals arrive annually by international mail from Thailand, India, South Africa and other points. Still more packages come from online pharmacies in Canada."[4]
Until about 2004 American consumers looking abroad most commonly turned to Canadian pharmacies for affordable medications.[citation needed] Since then many use online pharmacies in India, South Africa and other countries where drug prices are lower than in Canada.[5]
Most people in the US, including some legislators, favor accessing foreign-made prescription drugs to lower Americans’ health costs. According to a Wall Street Journal/Harris Online poll in 2006, 80 percent of Americans favor importing drugs from Canada and other countries.[6] President Obama’s budget supports a plan to allow people to buy cheaper drugs from other countries.[7] A report in the journal Clinical Therapeutics found that U.S. consumers face a risk of getting counterfeit drugs because of the rising Internet sales of drugs, projected to reach $75 billion by 2010.[8]
In the United States, there are two verification programs for online pharmacies that are recognized by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). One is the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites Program (VIPPS), which is operated by the NABP and was created in 1999.[9] The Food and Drug Administration refers Internet users interested in using an online pharmacy to the VIPPS program.[10] The other is LegitScript, which as of September 2010 had approved over 340 Internet pharmacies as legitimate and identified over 47,000 "rogue" Internet pharmacies
Very rarely are these orders investigated because U.S. authorities are much more worried about controlling illegal pharmacies in the U.S., not consumers themselves.[citation needed] The Washington Post reported that "...millions of Americans have turned to Mexico and other countries in search of bargain drugs...U.S. Customs estimates 10 million U.S. citizens bring in medications at land borders each year. An additional 2 million packages of pharmaceuticals arrive annually by international mail from Thailand, India, South Africa and other points. Still more packages come from online pharmacies in Canada."[4]
Until about 2004 American consumers looking abroad most commonly turned to Canadian pharmacies for affordable medications.[citation needed] Since then many use online pharmacies in India, South Africa and other countries where drug prices are lower than in Canada.[5]
Most people in the US, including some legislators, favor accessing foreign-made prescription drugs to lower Americans’ health costs. According to a Wall Street Journal/Harris Online poll in 2006, 80 percent of Americans favor importing drugs from Canada and other countries.[6] President Obama’s budget supports a plan to allow people to buy cheaper drugs from other countries.[7] A report in the journal Clinical Therapeutics found that U.S. consumers face a risk of getting counterfeit drugs because of the rising Internet sales of drugs, projected to reach $75 billion by 2010.[8]
In the United States, there are two verification programs for online pharmacies that are recognized by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). One is the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites Program (VIPPS), which is operated by the NABP and was created in 1999.[9] The Food and Drug Administration refers Internet users interested in using an online pharmacy to the VIPPS program.[10] The other is LegitScript, which as of September 2010 had approved over 340 Internet pharmacies as legitimate and identified over 47,000 "rogue" Internet pharmacies
No comments:
Post a Comment