Healthy Habits: Prescription Drugs

Did you know that many Internet sites hawking prescription drugs are actually fake and their products could cause more harm than good. There are documented cases of adults in the US harmed by counterfeit drugs and the effects of such products could be potentially be much worse for a child. Founded in 1904, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) is the impartial professional organization that supports the state boards of pharmacy in protecting public health. They have an initiative, the AWARxE Consumer Protection Program, that aims to inform consumers of the growing amount of fake Internet pharmacies that are selling dangerous counterfeit drugs.

 

Fact: Counterfeit pills sold online often contain too little or too much of the requested medication, the wrong medication altogether or harmful substances. Toxins such as glue, chalk, and rat poison are used by counterfeiters to make these pills. Drug counterfeiters do not care about your child’s health; their goal is to make a profit. Some fake online pharmacies may even falsely claim to be Canadian to seem like a safe source for medicine. By some estimates, as much as 90% of the medication bought online may be fake.  

To protect yourself when ordering prescription medication online, look for the VIPPS (Verified Internet Practice Pharmacy Sites) seal, and check the VIPPS list on AWARErx.org to make sure the site is listed there.  VIPPS-accredited sites are in agreement with all federal and state regulations and NABP safety standards. Some VIPPS-accredited sites may even offer discount prescription programs to help offset the cost of medications.

 

More about VIPPS:

·         AWAR_XE advises patients to use VIPPS-accredited Internet pharmacies when they opt to order medications online, and to learn how to avoid fake Internet pharmacies selling dangerous counterfeit drugs.

·         NABP has reviewed more than 9,600 websites selling prescription drugs.

·         Only 3%, or 291, of these sites appear to be in compliance with state and federal laws and NABP patient safety and pharmacy practice standards.

·         The other 97% of these sites are considered rogue sites and are listed as Not Recommended on the AWARxE website, www.AWARERX.ORG.

·         “Like” AWARxE on Facebook to find out more.