Americans are Still at Risk as Counterfeit Drugs from Within Their Own Borders Remain an Unresolved Problem, Says DoctorSolve
Bogus drugs are making their way into local pharmacies increasing the demand for better watchdog policies.
Vancouver, B. C. (PRWEB) August 1, 2006
While Americans are continually warned against buying medicine over the Internet to protect themselves from fake drugs, it is becoming painfully obvious that buying from one's pharmacist may pose a greater threat.
An episode of NBC's Dateline called “Bitter Pills” profiled cases of consumers who heeded government advice to buy drugs from their main street pharmacy, only to find themselves still ingesting pretend meds.
“The fact remains that the U. S. has the second highest number of counterfeit drug cases, after Columbia,” says Dr. Paul Zickler of DoctorSolve Pharmacy Services (www. doctorsolve. com).
The book Dangerous Doses by Katherine Eban states that from 2000 to 2004, the FDA's criminal cases that involved counterfeiting increased almost tenfold, from six a year to 58. By the end of October 2004, 91 cases were open. The FDA conservatively estimates that about 35 million prescriptions annually are filled with something other than the prescribed drug.
“One of the problems is the unregulated supply chain,” states Zickler. “There is a large network of wholesalers who buy and sell drugs, and laws governing them are very loose. In some cases, one can set up shop with a nominal fee and a promise to adhere to storage rules.”
Recently, the FDA announced new rules that require medicines to be tracked every time they change hands from the manufacturer all the way to the pharmacy. Known as the “pedigree,” the strict licensing process will involve background checks and a trackable paper trail. The new, long overdue rules go into effect December, 2006.
Until then, Americans can still trust reputable online pharmacy services to provide them with meds that are precisely as ordered. “While we acknowledge that there are rogue online pharmacies that threaten the health of innocent people,” says Zickler, “we strongly maintain that Americans can turn to online pharmacy services that are CIPA-certified and adhere to strict professional standards as a trusted source for their meds.”
To help put their patients at ease, DoctorSolve offers the Safety Service Guarantee, which outlines the extensive steps taken by the company to protect the health and safety of its patients, including personal pharmacy tours, random testing of the drugs, and full-time healthcare professionals on site. “It is our guarantee to our patients that we do everything in our power to ensure the efficacy and safety of the medications they buy from us,” says Zickler. DoctorSolve has been servicing Americans since 1999, and it's worth noting that in all that time “there has never been a case of counterfeit medication provided by our company.”
“Until there's a better safeguard system in place in the U. S., Americans should know that buying online from a trusted pharmacy service can actually be safer than walking down the street to get meds from the neighborhood pharmacist,” says Zickler.
DoctorSolve, a Canadian Internet-based pharmacy intermediary (license #BC Q37), offers lower cost, long-term prescriptions. A professionally registered pharmacist fills all prescriptions. A certified member of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, DoctorSolve is ranked as one of the best online pharmacies by PharmacyChecker. com. DoctorSolve has filled more than 200,000 U. S. prescriptions.
For more information, call 1-866-732-0305 or visit http://www. doctorsolve. com (http://www. doctorsolve. com).
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