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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 22, 2005

Contact: Diane Pratt-Heavner
(202) 226-7797

 

Walden, Davis Re-introduce Bipartisan Bill to Ensure Safety of Rx Drugs Purchased on Internet

 

Legislation would protect American consumers by establishing safety

standards for web-based pharmacies

 

Frequently asked questions

 

WASHINGTON , D.C. U.S. Congressmen Greg Walden (R-OR) and Jim Davis (D-FL) today reintroduced legislation in the House of Representatives that would protect online consumers from potentially unsafe prescription drugs purchased from Internet pharmacies.  The Walden-Davis legislation – H.R. 1808, the Safe Online Drug Act of 2005 (SODA) – would create a uniform certification standard to ensure that all U.S.-based Internet pharmacies meet rigorous Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety standards and adhere to state regulations for operating a pharmacy.  At present, safety standards for Internet pharmacies are voluntary. 

 

“Today millions of Americans are able to order prescription drugs from online pharmacies with little or no assurance that the medications they purchase are safe and effective,” said Congressman Walden, co-chairman of the bipartisan House Rural Health Care Coalition.  “Potent drugs, including addictive narcotics, can be ordered without a prescription, and federal agencies are powerless to protect the American people from illegal and unethical behavior on the part of many Internet pharmacies serving U.S. residents.  The good actors have already adopted voluntary safety standards while others choose to ignore them at the expense of consumers’ health for the sake of profits.  Our legislation would establish federal regulations giving assurance to American consumers that the prescriptions they purchase online are of the same quality and safety as medications they purchase from their neighborhood drugstore.”

 

“The Safe Online Drug Act will give consumers piece of mind by establishing a federal certification process for Internet pharmacies that allows consumers to verify that their online pharmacy is providing safe and effective prescription drugs,” said Congressman Davis.  “Furthermore, the bill will take steps to crack down on prescription drug abuse by prohibiting certified Internet pharmacies from dispensing drugs without a valid prescription.  This legislation provides the best of both worlds by protecting consumers’ access to the convenience of online pharmacies while removing the risk of receiving illegal or counterfeit drugs.”

 

Last June, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, released a report on an investigation which found that many Internet pharmacies failed to require a valid prescription from a physician before dispensing medications.  GAO investigators posing as patients were required to produce a prescription for only five of the 29 U.S.-based Internet pharmacies used to compile the report.  The report also said that consumers who purchase prescriptions online run the risk of receiving drugs that are counterfeit or lack proper warning labels; four foreign pharmacies sent GAO investigators counterfeit prescriptions.

 

The Walden-Davis bill would prohibit Internet search engines from accepting advertisements from online pharmacies that are not properly certified.  FDA certification for online pharmacies requires that only consumers with valid prescriptions may order medications and that pharmacies provide for authentication and security of prescription orders, among other criteria.  The legislation would also prevent credit card payments to online pharmacies that do not meet certification standards, a provision similar to the prohibition on credit card payments to illegal off-shore gambling sites.  Finally, the Walden-Davis bill would provide incentives for third-party shippers not to accept illegal shipments from uncertified online pharmacies.

 

The Act introduced in 2004 received the support of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the American Pharmacists Association and drugstore.com; both Walden and Davis expect to earn early support for H.R. 1808 as well.  The measure would go into effect six months following its enactment.

 

Congressman Walden represents the Second District of Oregon , which includes 20 counties in the southern, central and eastern regions of the state.  He is a Deputy Whip in the House leadership structure and a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce as well as the Committee on Resources.

 

Congressman Davis represents the Eleventh District of Florida , which includes portions of Tampa Bay ’s Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee counties.   Davis is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

 

 


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