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Little
done to curtail online Rx As
storefronts keep opening to offer seniors cheap drugs from Canada, the
state and federal governments are in the awkward spot of saying their
operations are illegal -- but doing nothing to stop them. ''Politically,
it's a nightmare for them,'' says Tim Fuller, executive director of the
Gray Panthers, a seniors group. ``Who wants to deny grandmother getting
big discounts on her prescriptions?'' Both
President George W. Bush and Gov. Jeb Bush are being squeezed by lobbyists
for the pharmaceutical industry, says Fuller, to do something about the
Canadian connection, which is starting to cut seriously into their
profits. ``They
have 600 lobbyists just in Washington. So we're getting a lot of threats
and bombast . . . but that seems to be about it.'' Earle
Turow, a Delray Beach resident who started Discount Drugs of Canada, said
Monday the threats so far have ''scared off'' only one person who was
thinking of opening a store affiliated with his group. He says that 43
affiliates are now open and another 50 plan to open in the next two
months. ''Obviously,
this is a concern,'' said Turow, ``but they're not backing down.'' The
U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that the storefronts are illegal
and that it has sent at least one, in Arkansas, a warning letter saying it
was violating the law and causing ``a significant risk to public health.'' Inspectors
of the Florida Department of Health have visited several South Florida
storefronts, and the department has issued a warning that it is looking
into possible criminal or civil charges accusing the firms of serving as
unlicensed pharmacies. The
storefronts primarily serve seniors who don't use the Internet. Clerks
e-mail or fax prescriptions to Canadian pharmacies, which then bill the
seniors and mail the prescriptions directly to them. The storefronts get a
commission from the pharmacies. While
authorities have said they have no desire to prosecute the customers, they
accuse the storefronts of promoting the sale of drugs that are not
regulated by the FDA. Sean
Ellsworth, an attorney who represents RxNetwork, a Davie pharmacy filling
online prescriptions, says he has been asked to represent several Canadian
storefronts and has turned them down. ''My
reading of the law, as currently written, is that this is not
permissible,'' he says of their operations. Still,
authorities aren't moving against the storefronts. The
White House media office didn't respond to a question on why the feds
weren't moving in. In
Tallahassee, Alia Faraj, spokeswoman for Gov. Bush, says he supports the
state's investigative efforts of the storefronts. The state hasn't cracked
down yet because ''this is a multipronged issue'' that needs to be
thoroughly looked into. ''The
governor is concerned about Florida's consumers and patients, and wants to
make sure that they receive proper prescriptions, and would encourage them
to utilize pharmacies that are licensed in the state of Florida,'' Faraj
says. ``This allows the Department of Health to have oversight.'' Such
oversight, Faraj adds, would make certain that customers get medications
``that are appropriate, in the correct amounts and not expired.'' Representatives
of Florida's pharmacies have used similar reasons to ask authorities to
crack down on the storefronts, but Fuller of the Gray Panthers says the
safety of Canadian drugs is ''a bogus issue.'' Canada too has an FDA-style
agency that watches drug quality carefully. ''These
aren't unregulated drugs,'' Fuller said. ``They're just cheaper, because
the Canadians have price controls.'' A
growing number of seniors, meanwhile, are recognizing the possible
benefits. AARP,
the leading seniors organization, takes no official stand on the Canadian
connection, but its April Bulletin newsletter had a consumer story on the
Canadian connection, including quotes from happy customers and FDA
warnings. The
story included a price chart, showing that 100 tablets of 100mg Celebrex,
an arthritis drug, costs $150 in the United States and $72 in Canada. The
article also reported that the Minnesota Senior Federation negotiated
prices with a Toronto pharmacy, allowing its members to get Celebrex for
$57. Bentley
Lipscomb, AARP's Florida director, warns seniors to be careful of the
storefronts. ``Some are legitimate, and some open up and then vanish. It's
a mixed bag. We strongly recommend to our members that they know what
they're dealing with.'' AARP
estimates that one million persons may be getting drugs from Canada --
many of them via the Internet. This
route has become so widespread that a consumer service, pharmacycheckercom,
has sprung up to give advice on the best web prices. Measuring
both Canadian and U.S. pharmacies, the site reports that Celebrex via
Canada can cost from $56 to $187 and $143 to $175 if purchased from a U.S.
site. To get specifics on where the best deals can be found,
pharmacycheckercom charges $9.95 for one month, or $19.95 for a year. Tod
Cooperman, a physician who started the site, warns consumers to avoid the
''lifestyle websites,'' which offer drugs like Viagra and diet pills after
filling out an online questionnaire as a substitute for a visit to a
doctor. ``We've found that they're charging a big premium. They average 50
percent higher than you'd pay at a pharmacy.'' Most
seniors, however, are more interested in medications for high blood
pressure, cholesterol and arthritis, and that Canadian business continues
to grow. Mel
Stewart, founder of US/Canadian Discount Drugs in Hollywood, says he
relies more on a 1-800 number than storefront walk-in business. ''We
market entirely through newspaper ads,'' he says. He recently started
advertising in 11 newspapers in the Tampa market, and has signed
agreements with affiliates to open offices in New Jersey and Virginia. ''People
really want this service,'' Stewart says. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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