RICHMOND, Va., March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Astonished by CanaRx’s admission that it is exploring the importation of prescription drugs from India into the United States, members of the National Council of State Pharmacy Association Executives (NCSPAE) today expressed dismay that their predictions of unregulated medications infiltrating the American system could be coming true.
NCSPAE learned of the new development last Wednesday (3/9) in an article by Bloomberg reporter John Lauerman entitled, “FDA Seizes Drugs Imported Under Five-State Program.” In the article, Lauerman reports that Tony Howard, president of CanaRx Services Inc., “has joined other Canadian Internet pharmacies in finding sources of drugs from partners in the U.K., Continental Europe, Israel, Australia and India.” India, according to a study by the Temple University Center for Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, is the worldwide leader in the production of counterfeit drugs with as much as 35 percent of the world’s drug counterfeiting originating in that country.
CanaRx Services Inc., which serves as the Ontario-based provider to the I- SaveRx importation program, regularly ships illegal medicines from foreign nations to residents who have signed up for the program in Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas and Vermont.
“One of the reasons that I-SaveRx has any credibility at all is because consumers believe their drugs are coming from Canada, a nearby country that presumably has similar standards for prescription drugs,” said Ron Fitzwater, Chief Executive Officer of the Missouri Pharmacy Association. “This admission of possible use of Indian drugs goes to show you what we’ve feared all along: Internet suppliers are looking to foreign countries, some that are noted counterfeiters, for profit and are putting the health and safety of consumers second.”
“India reportedly has one of the worst counterfeit problems of any developed country,” said Phil Woodward, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Pharmacists Association. “I can’t believe that any governor who is genuinely concerned about his constituents would make the decision to join I-SaveRx knowing that the prospect of sourcing from a major counterfeiting nation may occur.”
“I’m greatly troubled by the idea that un-inspected prescription drugs from India could be coming over our country’s border in the near future. This is worrisome for citizens in Illinois who may obtain drugs from India through the I-SaveRx program,” said Mike Patton, Executive Director of the Illinois Pharmacists Association. “In India, by law, chemists are free to ‘reverse engineer’ any prescription drug product by performing a chemical analysis on it and then duplicating it by a somewhat different process. This is cause for concern in Illinois and for patients all over America because the FDA does not inspect or approve these drugs.”
“Considering that there are reportedly over 20,000 production sites in India, there are no assurances as to the origin of drugs ordered over the Internet, regardless of where they are purported to come from,” said Jim Martin, Executive Director of the Texas Pharmacy Association. “This is the reason importation of drugs without some pedigree system is dangerous and creates a tremendous health risk for American citizens.”
“Importation from any source fragments the coordination of locally provided health care and inappropriately diminishes the important prescription screening and education services provided by community pharmacists, in addition to creating the threat to the safety and integrity of the U.S. prescription drug supply,” said Rebecca P. Snead, Administrative Manager, National Council of State Pharmacy Association Executives.
NCSPAE, a 75-year-old council, is made up of all state pharmacy association executive directors (to include D.C. and Puerto Rico) and many associate members.
The responsibility of the council is to provide education programs for the exchange and dissemination of information, ideas, experience and opinions and to provide a forum for discussion and study in the interest of improved state association administration and management. Other purposes include fostering the highest possible professional standards for state pharmacy association executives, promoting the development of efficient methods, procedures and techniques for managing affairs of the state associations and advancing professional standards associated with pharmacy practice.
National Council of State Pharmacy Association Executives
CONTACT: Janie Severance or James Pickral of the National Council ofState Pharmacy Association Executives, +1-804-285-4145
Web site: http://www.ncspae.org/