How can consumers protect themselves?
The FDA website has a number of good cautions, including the following:
Purchasing a medication from an illegal website puts you at risk. You may receive a contaminated or counterfeit product, the wrong product, an incorrect dose, or no product at all.
Taking an unsafe or inappropriate medication puts you at risk for dangerous drug interactions and other serious health consequences.
Before buying, check with the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy to determine whether a website is a licensed pharmacy in good standing.
Don't buy from sites that offer to prescribe a prescription drug for the first time without a physical exam, sell a prescription drug without a prescription, or sell drugs not approved by the FDA.
Don't do business with sites that have no access to a registered pharmacist to answer questions.
Avoid sites that do not identify with whom you are dealing and do not provide a U.S. address and phone number to contact if there's a problem.
Steer clear of sites that include undocumented case histories claiming amazing results.
Consumers who suspect that a site is illegal can report it to the FDA.
Copyright © 2004 American Bar Association