Mayo Clinic: The Do’s and Don’ts of Buying Prescriptions Online

The following pointers are from MayoClinic.com about the do’s and don’ts to buying prescription drugs online:

Things to do:

• Do consult your doctor. Only take medications prescribed for you by your doctor or another health care professional who knows you. He or she can determine if a particular drug is safe for you or if another treatment would be more appropriate.
  
• Do use a licensed pharmacy. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy can tell you whether an online pharmacy is licensed and in good standing. Some sites carry a seal of approval from Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (or VIPPS). To gain this approval, sites must maintain state licenses and allow inspections by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
  
• Do insist on access to a registered pharmacist. Reputable sites offer toll-free access to registered pharmacists to answer your questions. Some online pharmacies have traditional physical locations as well. If you have questions about a medication after you begin taking it or you're concerned about drug reactions, it may be valuable to speak with a pharmacist in person.


• Do read the privacy and security policies. Before placing an order, be confident that your credit card number, personal health information and other personally identifiable information will be protected.


• Do compare prices. You may find great deals online, but there aren't any guarantees. Check your local drugstore's price—it might beat the online price. If online prices are significantly lower than your local pharmacy, you should question whether the site is legitimate.


• Do be alert for counterfeits. In some cases, drugs ordered online turned out to contain no active ingredient or to contain the wrong medicine. Reduce your risk by only using legitimate online pharmacies. Don't use any medicine that arrives in altered or unsealed packaging.

Things not to do:

• Don't use a site that bypasses prescriptions. Online pharmacies that dispense medication without a valid prescription are violating U.S. law. Don't be lured in by sites that give you a prescription if you complete an online questionnaire. Only your doctor can safely prescribe medication for you.


• Don't order medication that's not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It's illegal to import unapproved drugs into the United States. Taking an inappropriate or unsafe drug can have life-threatening consequences.


• Don't overlook the address and phone number. Steer clear of sites that don't provide a street address and phone number or that list only foreign contact information. Use only U.S. pharmacies. International pharmacies may sell drugs that do not have FDA approval or that are illegal in the United States.


• Don't succumb to false claims. Don't buy medication from sites that advertise "miracle cures" or those that use impressive terminology to disguise a lack of good science.


• Don't keep complaints quiet. If your order doesn't arrive, you find unauthorized charges on your credit card or you have another problem with an online pharmacy, report it to the FDA. Speaking up can help promote a safer marketplace for everyone.

As offered in this blog before, it is very important to be vigilant in buying any prescription medications online.

Remember, “if a deals sounds too good to be true, it probably is” is the best advice when dealing with online products. Counterfeit and fraudulent drugs permeate the web with some estimates as high as 60% of online medications as counterfeit product. Protect yourself and your family and follow these do’s and don’ts.

For more helpful tips visit: http://www.mayoclinic.com/.

To learn more about XStream Systems revolutionary anti-counterfeiting technology and solutions visit: http://www.xstreamsystems.net/.

We All Need To Be On The Lookout for Fake Anti-Viral Medications and Vaccines

By: Alan Clock, Senior Vice President, XStream Systems, Inc.

As the United States slowly moves into the traditional flu season, it bears repeating to be on the lookout for scams regarding fake vaccines and anti-viral medications. These fake drugs seem to proliferating within the legitimate global pharmaceutical supply chain as we speak.

Anti-viral medications like Tamiflu and Relenza are being used worldwide to treat and lessen the impact of the H1N1 flu epidemic (formally known as the Swine Flu) and we are expecting shortly a flu vaccine for the H1N1 virus.

As stated before and predicted here on Secure Pharma Chain Blog, it would soon follow that unscrupulous counterfeiters would seize the opportunity of the epidemic and flood the market with counterfeit, adulterated and sub potent knock offs of these important medications. Unfortunately our predictions were right on target.

Those within the Southern Hemisphere, who are in the grip of flu season can attest, counterfeiters are attempting to flood the market with these dangerous knock offs and the impact of these fakes may impact more than just those who take the bogus medications.

A new dangerous consequence has emerged in this fight against H1N1 and counterfeit drugs.

Many global healthcare officials are now concerned that some counterfeit or knock off vaccines/ anti-viral medications could contain some of the active ingredients of the legitimate medications used in the fight against this epidemic and build drug resistant strains of the H1N1.

Much like what is seen in third world with Malaria, some counterfeiters use just enough active ingredients in their knock off drug to fool rudimentary screening tools but not enough for any therapeutic value against the disease.

The insidious practice of partially active ingredients in fake drugs adds injury to insult. It essentially creates super strains of a disease that resist the drugs used against them. This means that we all suffer the consequence of counterfeit drugs not just the unfortunate suckers who bought and consumed them. Because of counterfeit medications we may now all face a super charged H1N1 virus with limited medications to protect ourselves.

As it relates to the H1N1 epidemic, we all need to be on the lookout for counterfeit vaccines and anti-viral medications, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Only buy anti-viral medications with a prescription from your physician and from a licensed, established local or chain pharmacy in your area.


• Only get vaccinations from licensed, established local healthcare providers.


• Make certain that your pharmacy only buys product from reliable wholesalers and distributors that utilize transactional pedigrees and use some sort of verification process to screen their inventories.


• Never buy anti-viral medications or vaccines on-line from unknown vendors that do not require a prescription from your physician.


• Never buy anti-viral medications on-line from international sources or from sites that are not accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.


• Always remember, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is…

As this epidemic runs its course over the next several months or years, it is especially important for us all to be on the lookout for fake medications.

US Anti-Depressant Market Drives Counterfeit Medications

By: Alan Clock, Senior Vice President, XStream Systems

An article printed in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry has been reported on by every major US media outlet. The crux of the article centers on the statistic that “about 10 percent of Americans -- or 27 million people -- were taking antidepressants in 2005. This was double the number from the same study in 1996.

This surge in prescriptions vaulted anti-depressants, as a therapeutic class of pharmaceuticals, to become some of the top selling medications in the United States. Although the data used in the study is no longer tracked, it is presumed the number of Americans using anti-depressants continues to climb at a steady rate.

Most of the stories and reporting of this study has primarily focused on the prescribing and demographics of the study but as an additional take for Secure Pharma Chain Blog, we consider the proliferation as a correlation to anti-depressants now becoming, as a therapeutic class of pharmaceuticals, some of the most highly counterfeited and adulterated drugs both in the United States and worldwide.

In nearly every study, regulatory or published report within the United States and abroad, anti-depressants are among the top in value and in volume, highly counterfeited and adulterated drugs.

Clearly this is not a huge revelation, the cost of these medications are high, the number of people who take these medications is high and the issue regarding the wish for patients to conceal that they are taking these medications have led to many concealing their efforts to procure these products.

In many cases, it is difficult for the patient or health care provider to discover that they are not taking the proper prescribed therapy because of the nature of the illness that it is intended to relieve. Most patients will never realize that their drugs are counterfeit at all and will attribute their ineffectiveness to other issues.

As the market for anti-depressants continues to climb so will the need for patients and providers to diligently seek out authentic medications.

Here are a few thoughts on how to protect you and your family as a patient against counterfeit medications:

• Always buy pharmaceuticals from a trusted, brick and mortar, licensed pharmacy in your community.


• If you purchase from the internet, only purchase from sites that are sponsored by a licensed, established pharmacy like a retail chain or from site that is verified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.


• Never, ever purchase prescription drugs from an internet site or a pharmacy that does require a prescription from your physician. Sites that offer a physician prescription on-line are not legitimate.


• Carefully examine your medications for differences in size, color, consistency and taste. If you notice any differences immediately notify your pharmacist or physician.

The best way to protect you and your family from counterfeit medications is that if the price or the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is and you should not purchase those drugs.

Realize that in this world where a criminal individual or enterprise can make far more money with far less risk by manufacturing, distributing and selling counterfeit medications than in selling illicit drugs, everyone needs to be on guard against this crime that will impact your health and the health of your family.

Cargo Theft: A Major Rx Supply Chain Issue

The June 23, 2008 issue of Drug Topics contains an article about the ever increasing issue of cargo theft and its impact on the drug supply chain.

Given the high dollar value of pharmaceutical shipments, shipments of all types of medications lead the list of targets for transit thieves.

Much of the article is based on a presentation at a National Boards of Pharmacy meeting by FBI Special Agent Ryan Toole. The article states, “….in 2005 there were reported thefts of $14 million worth of Lipitor (atorvastatin, Pfizer) and Viagra (sildenafil citrate, Pfizer), and $29 million worth of Novartis products. However, Toole said, there's a long list of types of drugs stolen, including those for acid reflux, cancer, depression, hypertension, stroke, and many other conditions.”

Obviously once these products are stolen, these medications often make their way back into legitimate channels via non-legitimate enterprises in a variety of formats. The major concern is what happens to the product once it is in the hands of the thieves. Once in the hands of a thief, the products and their containers can be altered, contaminated, diluted or diverted. It is, however, certain that at some point these products will ultimately find their way to the hands of a consumer in a format that may not be safe for consumption.

These types of thefts make the case for an authentication technology that can verify the molecular structure of the material inside the sealed container such as the XStream Systems’ XT250™ Material Identification System. Operating in conjunction with Track and Trace processes or as a standalone technology, the XT250 protects the inventories within each step in the supply chain from receiving products that have been highjacked and altered.

View the article in full at this link to Drug Topics.