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According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), as of January 2000 there were approximately 200 U.S. websites dispensing prescriptions without a prescribing service. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) states on its own site an estimate of around 1,000 websites selling prescription drugs, including those which both dispense and prescribe.
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In 1999, NABP developed the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) program, a certification program that requires stringent accountability from participating online pharmacies. These websites will display a VIPPS seal, and the seal is hyperlinked to the NABP page that displays more information on the pharmacy. It should be noted that VIPPS is a voluntary program, and NABP does not regulate online pharmacies.
First, the bottom line here is that only drugs which have been formally approved by the FDA are allowed into the U.S. If a drug is approved in the U.K., for example, but not in the U.S., attempts to deliver that drug to a patient in the U.S. are illegal.
Additionally, a foreign pharmacy, no matter how legitimate, cannot sell drugs to a U.S. consumer without a proper, authorized prescription.
Several years ago, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) made a statement suggesting that U.S. patients not buy from abroad. This was, however, in direct response to a change in a previous drug shortage situation (a shortage of some meds in the U.S. was remedied). At this time, the ASRM makes no statements regarding the purchase and use of fertility drugs from other countries.
Believe it or not, there is an organization which seeks to assist patients in re-distributing their unused medications in a legal and safe manner.
The Fertility Foundation contracts with a pharmacy to legally assess the safety of unused medications. Through their web-based non-profit organization, they accept donations of leftover drugs and screen applicants seeking to access drugs.
© Tracy Morris
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