Prescription Drugs Importation Safety

As prescription drug costs in the United States skyrocket, many Americans turn to other countries for answers. Mexican pharmacies in border towns have become more numerous than curio shops, and ads for prescriptions from Canadian pharmacies are all over the Internet. Medications obtained from these sources, however, may pose significant safety risks.

Regulation

• In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the safety of prescription medication manufactured in this country, but it does not regulate the safety of imported medications. Meanwhile, the Canadian government has said it cannot guarantee the quality of exported drugs.

Counterfeit Medication

• According to the FDA, with no regulatory systems in place, many of the medications that are imported into the United States are counterfeit. Others are of low quality, cut with inferior products or are lacking the correct amount of the active ingredients.

No Prescription

• Because most people who import medications to the United States do so without a prescription, there is no doctor to ensure that the medicine is appropriate for the person's condition. This in itself creates a risk.