Is it legal to order prescription drugs from foreign pharmacies? When you hear that drug prices are cheaper in Canada or overseas, is it too good to be true? Is it safe to order prescription drugs from foreign sources? When it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. But in this case, it may not be.



•Is It Legal?

Hundreds of thousands of people each day are ordering prescriptions from foreign pharmacies to cut down on their high prescription drug costs. Although the FDA does not “encourage" the importation of foreign drugs, they permit the importation of a 90 day, personal supply. The reason the FDA cannot strictly regulate the importation of prescription drugs from overseas is because the number of people that import drugs from overseas has grown so large that the FDA cannot crack down on every import. The FDA knows that people are not going to stop importing their medication, so they have been giving them tips and guidelines to make sure they find a safe pharmacy to import them from. If you visit the FDA website http://www.fda.gov/buyonline/, you will find articles that will give you incite on what to look out for when buying your medication online from foreign sources.

•Are Drugs Cheaper from Foreign Pharmacies?

In one word, yes. The reason for the price difference is that the United States is the only modern country that does not have price controls. Alan Holmer, the president and CEO of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America says, “The principal problem with price controls is you have limitations on access to medicines, and you don't have the newest most innovative treatments." But when asked in a report by ABC’s John McKenzie, “representatives of the pharmaceutical industry could only identify eight drugs not available on Canadian shelves, and three of those are contraceptives." On top of not having price controls, the pocket books of American drug companies are so deep, they have a heavy influence on the laws that are passed. Even Dan Burton, the state representative from Indiana said, "There's no question in my mind that the (FDA) is too dependent on the pharmaceutical industry for their attitudes and decision-making."

•Is it Safe to Order Prescription Drugs from Foreign Sources?

Many people believe that there is a quality loss in the drugs purchased from foreign sources. In some cases this could be true. There are some pharmacies online that are out to get you, or that sell inferior medications. If you are careful and make sure that you purchase from licensed, well established online pharmacies, you will find that the drug quality is just as high from a foreign pharmacy as it is in the US. A report by the Congressional Research Service supports this theory. The report found that medications that are manufactured and distributed in Canada meet the same high quality standards that are set forth by the FDA.

A good resource in finding affordable, quality overseas and Canadian pharmacies is Freebeeforeignpharmacy.com. Freebee is a pharmacy resource website that offers overseas and Canadian pharmacy ratings and reviews. Freebee has a quality rating system that is devised of feedback left from current and previous members and it may also serve as a consumer advocacy watchdog group, taking much of the risk out of buying your medications online. This helps weed out the unreliable rogue pharmacies along with much of the worry and stress related to buying prescription drugs from overseas.