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Walden,
Legislation would protect American
consumers by establishing safety
standards for web-based pharmacies
Frequently
asked questions
“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 “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 Congressman
Davis represents the Eleventh District of
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