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NABP e-News: January 06, 2010
5,000 Web Sites Selling Prescription Drugs Outside of Pharmacy Laws and Practice Standards
On December 11, 2009, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) reached a bitter-sweet milestone in its ongoing review of Web sites selling prescription medications. NABP now lists more than 5,000 Internet drug outlets as Not Recommended. These sites – 96% of the total number of sites reviewed – have been found to be out of compliance with pharmacy laws and practice standards established in the United States to protect the public health. NABP researches Web sites selling prescription drugs and reports its findings to state and federal regulators, and educates health care professionals and the public on the dangers of buying prescription drugs online, thereby empowering patients to make informed choices. Internet pharmacies listed as Recommended on the NABP Web site have been accredited by the VIPPS® (Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice SitesCM) program or, for veterinary sites, the Vet-VIPPSCM program. These Internet pharmacies have successfully completed NABP’s rigorous 19-point criteria evaluation and on-site inspection to ensure they adhere to the highest standards for pharmacy practice and patient safety. More information is available in a December 28, 2009 news release and in the Buying Medicine Online section of the NABP Web site, www.nabp.net.
Iowa Board of Pharmacy to Announce Medical Marijuana Recommendation on February 17, 2010
The Iowa Board of Pharmacy announced that it will make a recommendation regarding the legalization of medical marijuana in Iowa to their state legislature at a special meeting on February 17, 2010. The Board postponed its recommendation to February due to the large volume of public response, including comments at public hearings held over the last several months, and 12,000 pages of written comments, Lloyd K. Jessen, RPh, JD, the Iowa Board’s executive director and drug control program administrator, said to the DesMoines Register. Advocates of such legislation in Iowa believe medical marijuana should be legal for patients with chronic health conditions whose physicians recommend it as a treatment for pain and other symptoms. Opponents believe that legalizing medical marijuana could create a climate in which marijuana for recreational use might be legalized.
Consumers Who Purchased Drugs through Internet or Telepharmacies Targeted in Extortion Scam
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public about an international extortion scam primarily targeting consumers who purchased drugs over the Internet or via telepharmacies. Criminals call victims, claim to be FDA special agents or other law enforcement officials, and inform victims that purchasing drugs over the Internet or by telephone is illegal and that they must pay a fee to prevent law enforcement action. The criminals demand that fees be sent by wire transfer, making further threats if victims refuse. FDA emphasizes that FDA officials are not authorized to impose fines and would not contact a consumer by phone to demand payment. Anyone receiving such a call should report it to the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office at 1-800/521-5783.
NABP Helps Educate Public About Prescription Drug Abuse
A recent HealthDay News article educates readers about the growing problem of prescription drug abuse, especially among teens, and includes information from Carmen A. Catizone, MS, RPh, DPh, executive director/secretary of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Catizone noted that painkillers are the most often abused prescription drug, and that abusers obtain prescription medications by taking them from a friend or relative’s medicine cabinet, swapping or sharing drugs, obtaining unneeded prescriptions from their doctors, and by purchasing drugs through Internet sites. Catizone also stressed that officials hope to curb prescription drug abuse through prescription monitoring programs, which have already been implemented in about 30 states. NABP began increasing its efforts to educate patients about prescription drug abuse beginning in 2008 when Resolution No. 104-7-08 on teen medication abuse was passed. In 2009, the NABP membership passed another resolution, No. 105-2-09, related to prescription drug abuse.
White House Says Obama Will Push for Drug Re-Importation After Health Care Bill Passes
Following the senate debate resulting in the vote against a recently proposed drug importation amendment to the health care bill, White House aide David Axelrod stated that president Obama supports safe drug re-importation and will move forward with re-importation legislation in the future. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg clearly stated FDA’s opposition to the re-importation amendment as written, citing health safety concerns due to the risks of counterfeit and adulterated medications entering the US supply chain, as well as the enormous amount of FDA resources that would be required. The Hill reports that Axelrod noted President Obama’s commitment to move forward with re-importation legislation once the safety issues addressed by FDA are resolved.
Lead Defendant in Health Care Fraud and Rogue Internet Pharmacy Scheme Sentenced
A US District Court sentenced a man in Arlington, TX, to 12 years in federal prison and ordered him to pay $68 million in restitution for his involvement in an elaborate rogue Internet pharmacy scheme, as reported in a Department of Justice press release on December 11, 2009. The man operated 23 Texas-incorporated pharmacies through two companies that he owned, and his pharmacies purchased controlled substances at significant discounts from pharmaceutical wholesale suppliers using fraudulent memberships in Group Purchasing Organizations. The pharmacies were then used to operate a “store front” Web site that distributed the drugs to Internet customers without requiring valid prescriptions or doctor intervention, and at prices up to four times the standard retail cost for the drugs.
