Online Pharmacy - How Canadian Internet Pharmacies Work

Canadian Internet pharmacies are big business in several provinces across Canada. The reason for this is very simple. Generally speaking, the cost of prescription drugs in Canada is far lower than those in the United States. As a result, many Americans are choosing to purchase their prescription medications online from Canadian pharmacies at up to one third of the price they would pay in their own country. The United States Food and Drug Association (FDA) Office of Regulatory Affairs clearly states that shipping prescription drugs into the U.S. from Canada is against American law. This hasn't stopped an increasing number of Americans from doing just that.

A debate among health care professionals, including pharmacists, provincial governments, the federal government, and Canadians in general is raging in Canada about the safety, wisdom, and potential pitfalls of selling Canadian drugs to Americans across the border. The issue is proving highly divisive.

The Issues surrounding Online Pharmacies in Canada

A 'brick and mortar' pharmacy legally operating in Canada can apply to the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA) for a VIPPS Seal of approval through the Canadian Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS). This seal ensures that the pharmacy in question has met the requirements of the Association, including holding a license issued by a Canadian provincial or territorial regulatory body, and operating legitimately in Canada. The goal of the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities is to ensure that Canadians seeking to fill valid prescriptions using the Internet can do so safely.

NAPRA does not support the sale of Canadian prescription drugs to Americans. For this reason, Internet pharmacies in Canada selling drugs to Americans are not eligible for the VIPPS seal. This leaves it up to an American citizen to validate the authenticity of the Canadian pharmacy they purchase prescriptions from, a situation that many State governments and legislators want changed. It is not illegal for Canadian pharmacies to fill American prescriptions, provided the prescription is reviewed and signed by a licensed Canadian pharmacist. Many Canadian pharmacists have no reservations about doing just that; however, the process is not supported by the NAPRA.

Recently, some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies have refused to sell their prescription drugs to Canadian pharmacies that sell to U.S. customers. Generally speaking, the pharmacies targeted have managed, by a variety of measures, to get around this potential supply problem. Some Canadians believe that Internet pharmacies are jeopardizing Canadian's access to the supply of medications; others point out that, in reality, this has not happened.

Many organizations supporting Canadian pharmacists and healthcare providers state that signing off on a prescription without first seeing the patient potentially jeopardizes the health of the patient. Others believe that this fear is unfounded, and point to the obvious interest these same groups have of forcing patients to visit their doctor simply to refill a prescription, and being forced to fill that prescription at the local pharmacist, even though a less expensive alternative could be found when ordering online.

Like the United States, the pharmaceutical lobby in Canada is strong. It is obviously not in the best interests of pharmaceutical companies to have American customers, unprotected by the price controls present in Canada, purchase their medications at lower Canadian prices. The practice is having a large impact on the profits made by pharmaceutical companies. Drug prices in the U.S. are an enormously important problem for Americans and their governments, and the issue won't go away any time soon.

According to the FDA's Office of Regulatory Affairs, the US Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act prohibits Americans from importing "unapproved new drugs". "Unapproved new drugs" includes foreign made versions of the same drugs that have FDA approval in the U.S. What this means is that any American citizen ordering drugs from Canada is breaking U.S. law.

Why aren't Americans going to jail?

Many Americans, including some State governments, a variety of lobby groups, and even some U.S. Senators are in support of American citizens buying medications from Canada. The issue has become so divisive in the U.S. that many believe the FDA is in an impossible position, in terms of enforcing the laws that exist. The potential outcry among Americans who want to be able to buy the medications they need at prices that enable them to continue to eat and be housed, is enormous. No government can afford to tell citizens that they cannot access potentially life saving medications while providing no other opportunity for that citizen to do so. For this reason, outrageously high drug prices in America is a problem that every government in the U.S. can no longer ignore.

Recently, a delegation of California legislators was in Winnipeg, Manitoba touring online pharmacies to determine which pharmacies they should recommend Californians use to buy Canadian drugs online. Lawmakers in least 11 other states have been discussing various proposals involving the purchase of Canadian drugs by their citizens. These states believe that the drug approval and regulation process in Canada is as strong or stronger than in the U.S. They believe that Canadian drugs are safe, and that Americans have the right to purchase medications at reasonable prices. States such as Minnesota organize bus tours for their constituents to cross the border to purchase Canadian medications. On April 8, 2004, Senator Chuck Grassley introduced a bill aimed at helping Americans legally purchase prescription drugs from Canada. The bill is called the "Reliable Entry for Medicines at Everyday Discounts through Importation with Effective Safeguards Act of 2004 (or the REMEDIES Act, S. 2307)". These are just a few indications of how U.S. citizens and law makers are working to legalize the importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

Learn how the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) promotes the growth and mission of Canadian pharmacies providing international services. Read through the recommendations suggested by CIPA to ensure patient safety when buying prescription medications from Canadian online pharmacies.