Online Pharmacies

Article: "Purchasing Pet Drugs Online: Buyer Beware" (updated 11/16/13)
(Source: http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm048164.htm)

" 'Discount pet drugs—no prescription required' may appeal to pet owners surfing the Web, but FDA experts say it can be risky to buy drugs online from sites that tout this message and others like it.

Some of the Internet sites that sell pet drugs represent legitimate, reputable pharmacies, says Martine Hartogensis, D.V.M., deputy director of the Office of Surveillance and Compliance in FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). But others are fronts for unscrupulous businesses operating against the law.

FDA has found companies that sell unapproved pet drugs and counterfeit pet products, make fraudulent claims, dispense prescription drugs without requiring a prescription, and sell expired drugs.

Pet owners who purchase drugs from these companies may think they are saving money, says Hartogensis, but in reality, they may be short-changing their pet's health and putting its life at risk.

CVM regulates the manufacture and distribution of animal drugs, while individual state pharmacy boards regulate the dispensing of prescription veterinary products."

Article: "Buying Drugs Online Could Be Prescription For Trouble" (Newsday, June 28, 2014)

"You can buy almost anything you want on the internet.  But be very careful before you purchase prescription drugs online.

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) reviewed more than 10,000 internet sites that claim to sell prescription drugs and found that 97 percent of them don't adhere to the organization's pharmacy laws and practice standards.  The association...that represents state pharmacy boards, says the worst of these sites 'may be selling drugs that are counterfeit, contaminated or otherwise unsafe.' "