If you need a prescription filled, be careful before ordering from an online pharmacy.
We all know that the price of prescription drugs is enough to give you a headache, but don't be so eager to get a price break that you end up with counterfeit drugs, advises the National Consumers League (NCL).
"Getting fooled by counterfeit drugs could mean wasting your money on ineffective medicine, but it could also mean taking grave health risks with drugs that aren't what they pretend to be," Linda F. Golodner, NCL president, said in a press release.
In a recent report by the General Accounting Office, the federal agency found many instances where Internet pharmacies -- most operating in foreign countries -- exhibited shaky business practices, including not requiring people to have a prescription to make purchases.
In its test of online prescription ordering, the GAO obtained 68 samples of 11 drugs -- each from a different pharmacy Web site in the United States, Canada or elsewhere. The GAO found fewer problems among pharmacies it contacted in Canada and the United States. But the GAO still found enough to make me quiver.
For example, the GAO got stiffed. The agency paid for but never received six drug orders totaling more than $700. In addition, some drugs were counterfeit, and others had return addresses on the packaging that, when traced, turned out to be private residences.
It turned out that 14 of the 68 pharmacy Web sites tested were already under investigation by regulatory agencies for such charges as selling counterfeit drugs or providing prescription drugs where no valid doctor-patient relationship existed. In some cases, foreign Internet pharmacies appeared to offer U.S. versions of brand-name drugs on their Web sites but attempted to substitute an alternative drug during the ordering process.
"Certain practices of Internet pharmacies may render it difficult for consumers to know exactly what they are buying," the GAO report concluded.
So how can you tell if you're dealing with a legitimate Web pharmacy? Here are signs of a suspicious online pharmacy, according to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), a professional association that represents boards of pharmacy in all 50 states and the District:
• Suspect e-pharmacies will dispense prescription medications without requiring you to mail in a prescription, or they may not contact your doctor to obtain a valid prescription orally. Some send you medication based solely on an online questionnaire without you having a pre-existing relationship with a doctor and the benefit of an in-person physical examination.
