Hello argjyr-ga!
With the rising cost of prescription medications, more and more people
are turning to online sources. I found the information that you?ve
requested and hope you find it useful.
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IMPORTING MEDICATIONS
Much of the reference material online refers specifically to importing
medications from Canada so I used this in my search terms. The
information regarding its legality is applicable to any foreign
country.
The Food and Drug Administration has a publicly posted letter
regarding importing medications from Canada. In it they say,
?From a legal standpoint, businesses and individuals that are involved
in shipping prescription drugs to consumers in the U.S. must take many
steps to ensure compliance with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic
Act. Practically speaking, it is extremely unlikely that a pharmacy
could ensure that all of the applicable legal requirements are met.?
Some of the reasons that it is ?extremely unlikely? that these
requirements will be met are listed in the same letter.
?Even if a prescription drug is approved in the U.S., if the drug is
also originally manufactured in the U.S., it is a violation of the Act
for anyone other than the U.S. manufacturer to import the drug into
the United States. . . . Generally, such drugs are unapproved, . . .
labeled incorrectly, . . . and/or dispensed without a valid
prescription. . . . Thus, their shipment into the U.S. from Canada
violates the Act.
?The reason that Canadian or other foreign versions of U.S.-approved
drugs are generally considered unapproved in the U.S. is that FDA
approvals are manufacturer-specific, product-specific, and include
many requirements relating to the product, such as manufacturing
location, formulation, source and specifications of active
ingredients, processing methods, manufacturing controls,
container/closure system, and appearance. Frequently, drugs sold
outside of the U.S. are not manufactured by a firm that has FDA
approval for that drug. Moreover, even if the manufacturer has FDA
approval for a drug, the version produced for foreign markets usually
does not meet all of the requirements of the U.S. approval, and thus
it is considered to be unapproved.?
Finally, the FDA speaks of its right to prosecute individuals who violate this act.
?This policy is not intended to allow importation of foreign versions
of drugs that are approved in the U.S., particularly when the foreign
versions of such drugs are being ?commercialized? to U.S. citizens. .
. . Although we must concede that FDA has not often prosecuted those
importing illegal drugs into the United States from Canada, FDA
reserves the right to do so in the appropriate circumstance.?
In summary, it his highly unlikely that XLPharmacy is in compliance
with these regulations. In that case, importation would most likely be
illegal and subject to prosecution, although the FDA admits that legal
action is unlikely.
http://www.fda.gov/ora/import/kullman.htm
In October 2005 Consumer Reports ran an interesting article about the
impact of obtaining prescription medications from Canada. You can find
the article at:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/personal-finance/prescription-drugs-from-canada-1005/overview/index.htm
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XLPHARMACY
The answer to your question about not needing a prescription is found
hidden the FAQs on the XLPharmacy website.
?Do I need a prescription?
?If you have a prescription from your local doctor we can fill your
order immediately or if you do not have a prescription you can
complete our online Medical Consultation when checking out and it will
be reviewed by our licensed physician?s and upon approval you will be
issued a FREE prescription.
Many of our medications require that you either fax us a prescription
from your local doctor or complete our online medical consultation
that will be reviewed by our dedicated team of pharmacists and doctors
for approval.?
http://www.xlpharmacy.com/custservices.php#6
While they have a U.S. telephone and Fax number, finding the actual
location for Xlpharmacies was equally difficult. Again, in their FAQs,
?Where are you located?
?The company is located in Europe and is a International pharmacy that
sources all medication from countries worldwide to guarantee the
safest and lowest prices online.?
http://www.xlpharmacy.com/custservices.php#22
Asking about whether or not their products are brand name drugs,
?We offer a full line of Brand Name prescription drugs made by the
original manufacturer and also less expensive generic versions of the
Brand name products.?
http://www.xlpharmacy.com/custservices.php#3
The company uses SSL encryption for its credit card transactions, and
claims to prevent ?unauthorized access? of personal information.
Searching for www.xlpharmacy.com on Whois.com reveals that it is a
privately registered website through Internet Technologies Group, Inc.
(www.itg.com), a web design and development company. The original
publication date for the XLPharmacy site is April 13, 2004, and its
country of origin appears to be Seychelles, an Indian Ocean Island
nation formerly under British rule. There is contact information for
the company itself located on the Whois site.
http://www.whois.com/EasyDomainSearch.aspx?isavailable=no
(Click on the ?Whois Lookup? option on the bottom of the page for full details.)
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Many people use Canadian, off-shore, and other foreign online
pharmacies and are able to obtain high-quality, effective medications
at an affordable price. Determining the exact legality of each
pharmacy?s actions is extremely difficult. Also, determining exactly
HOW safe a company really is can be a daunting task. I hope that you
find this information to be useful, and that you are able to find
affordable medications for yourself. If you have need of any further
clarification, please let me know how I can help.
Sincerely,
Boquinha-ga
Search terms:
prescription canada [u.s. OR "united states"] legal
xlpharmacy
prescription canada [u.s. OR "united states"] |
