Is online pharmacy illegal?

Several state governors don't think so.

"The latest GOP governor to break ranks is Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty, who last week initiated a program that permits state employees to order prescription drugs from a state-inspected Canadian company. By requiring pre-inspection, Minnesota's state workers can be confident these drugs are of identical quality and safety to their U.S. counterparts, despite being much cheaper. This approach could save taxpayers millions of dollars by lowering the cost of providing prescription benefits for state workers. "

To read the full article, go to http://gadflyer.com/articles/?ArticleID=107.

What is Big Pharma's position on online pharmacy

My belief is that pharmaceutical manufacturers, like another other business enterprise, will seek the best advantage for their company. That edge can come from a superior product, cheaper pricing, more efficient production or regulatory and legislative environments that work to their advantage.

In fact, by law companies sole goal is to provide the maximum return to their shareholders. To expect anything else from companies is simply wishful thinking.

However, a company's reality is not the only reality. A politician has the incentive to give the voters what they want. An individual faced with high medication bills has incentive to look elsewhere for cheaper medications.

All these realities battle for supremacy. And the winner is...? To mix metaphors, "the jury is still out." But if you would like to read a balanced view of Big Pharma's role in the process, you can check out the following article.

"Of Pills and Profits: In Defense of Big Pharma

Peter W. Huber

The more our health depends on their little pills, the more we seem to hate big drug companies. In The Constant Gardener (2000), John le Carré assigns to the pharmaceutical industry the role played by the KGB in his earlier novels. A villainous pharmaceutical company is using Kenya as a testing ground for a lethally defective drug, and people who find out about it die, too. Four recent, non-fiction indictments of the industry tell a similar story.* Conflating the four into one, one might title them collectively How Big Pharma Deceives, Endangers, and Rips Us Off, with the Complicity of Doctors. More..."

Another reason to only use online pharmacies that require a valid prescription

Doctors are not just an inconvenience in the health care system. They act as gatekeepers of responsible health care.

Are they perfect? Of course not. Doctors are human and they can make mistakes. But patients are human too, and have a lot less medical knowledge than their doctor. The following article is another reminder of how important the doctor/prescription link can be.

"Professor, wife sue online pharmaceuticals company

In an effort to shed light on the largely unregulated Internet market of drugs and pharmacies, structural biology Prof. David McKay, and his wife, Sheila, are suing a Colorado physician and an online pharmacy for negligence and wrongful death one year after their 19-year-old son committed suicide as the result of a prescription given without a doctor consultation. More..."

Unfortunately, the young man in the story paid with his life in order to avoid the inconvenience of seeing his doctor for a prescription.

Don't make the same mistake.

Can you get specially compounded medications online?

I hadn't really thought about this issue before until a news item crossed my desk today.

FDA Warns Three Pharmacies To Stop Mass-Producing unproven Inhalation Drugs

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned three firms, RoTech Healthcare, Inc., CCS Medical, and Reliant Pharmacy Services, to stop manufacturing and distributing thousands of doses of compounded, unapproved inhalation drugs nation-wide. More..."

So the answer to the question is yes, but the real question is should you? When a pharmacist compounds a medication, it is usually for very specific reasons. For example, you may be allergic to some of the ingredients in the regular version of a drug, or swallowing may be difficult so the pharmacy will compound a liquid or suspension instead of a pill.

The problem? You are really only making the best of a bad situation. A compounded medication may be the only way you can take a much needed medication. Unfortunately, compounded prescriptions are not held to the same standards of good manufacturing practice as those produced by drug manufacturers. There is no testing done to show that these compounded products are safe or effective when compared to standard dosage formats. You might absorb too little or too much of the drug. Compounding pharmacists are taking a calculated risk with your health.

The pharmacies involved in shipping compounded preparations across the country may save you a bit of money by using economies of scale to control their pricing but this practice makes it much more difficult for your doctor to follow the progress of your treatment.

In any case, it looks like the FDA is ready to shut down these pharmacies.

I recommend you continue to use your local pharmacy if you need specially compounded drugs.