Online Pharmacy 101: What You Need to Know The Problem Consumers of all ages are just a click away from Illegal online drug sellers that peddle dangerous products in violation of US law. Despite the existence of many safe online pharmacies that adhere to laws and safety standards, the Internet has opened the door to thousands of criminal Internet sites. At any one time there are approximately 35,000-50,000 active online drug sellers, 97% of which do not comply with U.S. laws, putting patients at risk.[1] Illegal online “pharmacy” operations are big business, the largest of which generate millions in sales […]
Category: Prescription Drugs
New Ways Criminals are Trying to Prey on American Consumers
Educated patients have known for years that randomly buying their medications from websites they find on Google can be dangerous. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy recently surveyed online pharmacies and found that 97% of them aren’t safe for Americans to order their medication from. Additionally, the past two years has seen an influx of counterfeits into the United States as fake drug wholesalers have begun bombarding small clinics and physicians with direct sales tactics promising unrealistic discounts. Three separate shipments of a fake version of a cancer drug have been found in the United States in the last […]
Double Check, Don’t Double Up on Medicines Containing Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen is the most common drug ingredient in the U.S. and is found in more than 600 different prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines, including pain relievers, fever reducers, and sleep aids as well as cough, cold, and allergy medicines. It is safe and effective when used as directed, but taking more than directed is an overdose and can lead to liver damage. Research recently conducted by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance) found that more than half of Hispanic consumers are not aware of any health risks associated with taking too much acetaminophen, and do not check their medicine […]
Unregulated Drugs a Hazard to Poor and Elderly Patients
As children grow up, they learn an important lesson: when you are sick, taking medicine usually helps you feel better in a reasonably short time. That acquired knowledge has helped generations of kids suck down foul-tasting cough medicine and other remedies. In fact, “taking your medicine” has become cultural shorthand for doing something that may be unpleasant in the short run, but benefits one over the long term. This is certainly aided by the fact the United States has one of the safest drug supplies in the world; when you take a medication in America, you can count on it […]
A Bitter Pill to Swallow: Many Americans Can’t Afford Their Medicine
For the first time in decades, Americans are actually spending less on their medication That’s according to a recent study by IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics which found the total spending on medicines fell 3.5 percent last year –from $329.2 billion in 2011 to $325.8 billion in 2012. The study attributes much of it to an encouraging trend: the declining use of brand-name drugs and the greater availability of less expensive generics. But it’s not all good news. The study’s authors say that the decrease spending on medications was driven also by consumers cutting back on health care overall – […]