Sunday, November 6, 2005

Some travelers like to purchase prescription drugs not available in the United States while traveling overseas. According to the federal government, this is a no-no.

Christie Reed of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quotes the agency's "Yellow Book" for international travelers: "In many developing countries, virtually any drug, including antibiotics and antimalarial medications, can be purchased without prescription. Travelers should be advised, however, not to buy these medications unless they are familiar with the products. The quality of these drugs may not meet U.S. standards and they may even be counterfeit or potentially hazardous due to contaminants."

And if that's not enough, the U.S. government takes a dim view of buying prescriptions abroad and a still dimmer one of bringing them home. According to a travel alert posted on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Web site (http://www.cbp.gov), "In virtually all instances, individual citizens are prohibited from importing prescription drugs into the United States."

-- Jennifer Huget