U.S. Food and Drug
Administration announces BeSafeRx campaign
Do you shop for your prescription medicines online? Are you sure you’re getting what you
bargained for? The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) announced today their new national BeSafeRx campaign. BeSafeRx was launched to warn Americans of
the dangers of purchasing their prescription drugs online.
According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy,
only 3% of online pharmacies actually followed state or federal pharmaceutical
regulations. This means 97% of online
pharmacies did not. In an age where the
internet offers increased convenience and rock bottom prices, this is
disturbing news. In response, the FDA
wants to encourage people to shop at pharmacies they can trust.
"Our goal is to increase awareness," FDA
Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg told the Associated Press, "not to scare
people away from online pharmacies. We want them to use appropriate
pharmacies."
The dangers associated with using online pharmacies are
great. There is no guarantee that the
drugs you intend to purchase are actually what you’ll receive. Instead, you may find the following:
·
Fake drugs
·
Contaminated drugs
·
Drugs past their prescription
·
Drugs with the wrong active ingredients
·
Drugs with too high or too low an active
ingredient
·
Toxic or poisonous drugs containing arsenic, rat
poison
Purchasing these potentially dangerous drugs could lead to
death.
Who purchases their
drugs online?
Given the inherent dangers of purchasing mystery drugs from
mystery purveyors, one has to wonder who purchases drugs online. According to the FDA, of over 6,000 Americans
surveyed, 1 in 4 admitted to purchasing their drugs online. If the sample size
is indicative of larger American trends, that means roughly 25% of Americans
purchase their questionable medications online.
Interestingly, when asked about their confidence level and
trust, only 3 in 10 responded they weren’t confident the purchase was
safe. That means 70% of respondents felt
purchasing drugs online was safe. This
is the target group for the BeSafeRx campaign.
The FDA would like to educate that 70% of Americans who are unaware of
the severe risks of purchasing their medications online.
How to spot a
potentially dangerous online pharmacy
There are some common warning signs that can help you as a
consumer spot a potentially dangerous pharmacy:
·
Site allows you to purchase medication without a
prescription
·
Prescriptions are administered after answering a
series of questions online (this is illegal!)
·
Prices are rock bottom and the discounts are
steep if you purchase now
·
Located outside of the United States
·
Not licensed in the United States
If you’ve been
injured by harmful/ fake medications
If you’ve been injured after purchasing questionable
medications on the internet, seek immediate medical attention. Do not wait.
Go straight to the emergency room.
Bring the prescription medication with you and be honest with your
doctor about where you obtained the medication.
Explain the symptoms you have experienced in great detail.
If an online pharmacy has injured you, you may be entitled
to compensation. Consult an attorney to
review your legal rights.
