Canadian online pharmacy ordered to stop marketing to U.S.

[alp227]

Source: CBC

A Winnipeg-based internet pharmacy, believed to be Canada's biggest, has been ordered by U.S. officials to stop marketing drugs to American customers through 3,700 websites registered in different countries.

CanadaDrugs.com, owned by Manitoban Kris Thorkelson, was sent a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 21.

"We continue to see the proliferation of illegal online pharmacies that sell potentially dangerous medicines. FDA targeted those websites selling unapproved and potentially dangerous medicines that can be detrimental to public health," an FDA public affairs officer said in a statement to CBC News.

"Some of these products contain active ingredients that are approved by FDA only for use under the supervision of a licensed health-care practitioner or active ingredients that were withdrawn from the U.S. market due to safety issues."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/10/04/online-pharmacy-fda-warning.html

[HereSince1628]

1. And that is the way globalization helps hold down costs for US medical consumers.

what? Nooooooooooooo! Of course it's better for US consumers! Reimportation has twice the shipping costs... it's GOTTA be more expensive...and it's dangerous!

[magic59]

2. I know of many uninsured individuals that self medicate with fish antibiotics

They can buy off ebay for 20 bucks and its the exact same meds as the doctor prescribes. Its a shame that a country as great, or worthless, as ameriKa makes its citizens do such things.

[kooljerk666]

10. My bee-allergic buddy get his epinephrine syringes............

from a vet supply co. He would get the largest dog size available & have 1 in car, 1 under m/c seat & 1 at house.

These things do not last long so must be replaced often. At human drug store they were $80, for the dog $5....

this was 25 years ago so price prob. have changed, but if i need these things I would have the Rotweiller size.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. Who knew the USA has the power to make a foreign company stop using the internet?

amazing.
wonder how the company will respond.

[Canuckistanian]

5. Really

If I owned a company here in Canada and got a "threatening letter" from the US government, I'd file it in the circular wastebasket.

Unless.... I had ANOTHER compelling reason to pay attention to it. Hmmmm.

I'd like to see how they react, too.

[crunch60]

4. Unbelievable story of FDA corruption - Full Documentary online thru June 20

I watched the full doc, but you can still see at least 30 min. in this clip.

http://www.vegsource.com/news/2011/06/unbelievable-story-of-fda-corruption---full-documentary-online-thru-monday.html

[DeSwiss]

6. FDA are the criminals.......

...that need arresting.

[Mkap]

7. Those guys are dicks

Awhile ago i was getting emails with the title "Order Canceled"

When i open the email it said something like " Amazon.com Speakers - 20 dollars...has been despoited back into your account"

Thinking my bank account had been stolen i checked my bank account....nothing that said i took out 20 dollars and i can breath a little bit easier now. Neither does my amazon account say anything.

So who sent me this email? It was these assholes. A link in the email took me to a online pharmacy that sold viagra and other pills. I was so pissed i shot off a letter to the BBB

[ashling]

8. And yet we turn property rights upside down

in order to push through a potentially hazardous tar sands pipeline for a Canadian Energy Company.

[FlaGranny]

9. My brother

who is in his early 80's, buys some medications though a Canadian pharmacy. He was prescribed these meds in the US by a physician, but could not afford them. His meds are shipped from possibly Italy(?) at a price he can afford. My husband got his American doctor to write a prescription for an expensive medication he bought through an on-line Canadian pharmacy. Many, many people send their American physicians' prescriptions to on-line Canadian pharmacies. If they can't get the prescriptions filled, many will just stop taking them.

The drug companies just love to rip off Americans.

[sinkingfeeling]

11. "Potentially dangerous medicines" made in the USA. Used CanadaDrugs for years.

[KatyMan]

12. Also have used online Canadian pharmacies

My daughter has a chronic medical condition and does not have insurance (even though she works full-time)-- we had her doc write a script for her medications and sent it to Canada. Cost 1/3 of the US price--- same active ingredients....her blood levels have remained where they should be, her condition is controlled, so I see no problems. Just another reason we need healthcare reform to include Big Pharm reform.

[MizzM]

13. Don't Get Me Going

For some years, before I retired, I ordered medication from PlanetDrugsDirect.com, a Canadian group. My insurance did not cover meds. I never bought anything other than the brand name of the product, but it was a huge saving from what was charged in the US. If I had to, I would continue to use this group, and I'm sure that many other Canadian pharmacies are just fine. What a scam this Rx business is. We are subsidizing the rest of the world who get medications much much cheaper because the government will not let the pharmaceutical companies charge more than a certain amount. So the pharmaceutical companies sock it to the USA to make up the difference. I am presently in experimental mode with my asthma. My doctor has now tried me on another inhaler (my third different inhaler in six months). My insurance does not cover this latest one. The doctor told me Costco would be the cheapest. I checked, and it was $100.00 for a one-month supply (I take another four meds daily for asthma, so it is a very expensive condition to have.) I checked with the Canadian pharmacy - $45.00 for the same brand name inhaler. If there is a problem with tainted medications from abroad, it is most likely with the generics. They come from totally different countries than the brands. Still, one was able to get generic Lipitor many years before it was available in the US. My own primary care physician suggested sticking with the brands, but at no time even hinted that the brands weren't exactly as they are available in this country.

[Blue Meany]

14. I used to buy my meds in Mexico. I never needed a prescription (except for narcotics)

and the prices were often about 2% of US retail for patented drugs.