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March 07, 2007
FDA Educating Patients About Online Drugs
As part of its mission to protect the public health through ensuring the safety of the drug supply, the FDA has been educating patients of the risks associated with online pharmacies. The FDA realizes the benefits that an online pharmacy can provide, such as convenience for possibly disabled patients, and the privacy afforded when obtaining medications for potentially embarrassing conditions. However, patients need to be made aware of unlicensed websites selling counterfeit medications, or websites that are not associated with licensed pharmacies. To this end, the FDA has has published materials educating patients about the benefits and risks of using online pharmacies.
However, the responsibility for this should not fall completely on the patient. Online pharmacies may not afford the same patient-pharmacist contact as a traditional retail setting. Even if they occasionally use online pharmacies, community pharmacists must continue to monitor the medication regimens of their patients to ensure the best possible health outcomes, regardless of where their medications are obtained from.
For more information about the FDA's patient education program concerning online pharmacies, visit http://www.fda.gov/usemedicinesafely/Buy_meds_online_text.htm
Posted by kwiatkg at March 7, 2007 03:07 PM