Importing Danger
The United States has one of the safest drug supplies in the world because its pharmaceutical supply system is "closed" to importation. Once a drug is outside the strictly regulated United States distribution channel, there is no guarantee of its authenticity, effectiveness, or safety. That is why, in virtually all instances, individuals are prohibited from importing prescription drugs into the U.S.
Drug importation supporters think that simply because drugs are purchased from "safe" countries such as Canada and Britain, they are actually made in those countries and are subject to strict regulations and oversight. But this is a dangerous misconception.
For example, if pharmaceuticals are not earmarked for Canadian citizens, they are not subject to the Canadian government's safety regulations. By marking the drugs "for export only," drug exporters can make Canada a post office box for fake or low-quality drugs from China, India, and other countries notorious for ineffective and sometimes lethal products.
Importing drugs from select European countries isn't any safer. European Union parallel importation and trade laws provide an opportunity for the inadvertent entry of counterfeit drugs into legitimate supply chains and markets. Counterfeit products that get into the legitimate distribution chain of one E.U. member can contaminate the distribution chains of other countries. Since 2007, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Britain's equivalent of the FDA, issued half a dozen drug recalls after counterfeit drugs infiltrated its legitimate supply chain as a result of parallel trade (a practice in which products are diverted from their intended markets to sell in higher-priced markets).
In addition, the use of the Internet to purchase these drugs is a prescription for disaster. Major regulatory authorities in the United States, Canada and the European Union, as well as the World Health Organization, warn that 50 percent or more of the products obtained from these sources are counterfeit.
Anytime consumers venture outside of the U.S.'s currently closed system, there is a very real risk to their health and welfare. The bottom-line is that drug importation programs, including state-government sponsored programs, encourage Americans to gamble with their health, especially vulnerable patient populations such as minorities, seniors, and fixed income patients.
Visit our Safe Savings section to learn how you can save money on your prescription drugs WITHOUT the serious safety risks that accompany purchasing imported medicines.
