Austin – State Rep. Dianne White Delisi today announced that her HB 1676, which creates a public awareness campaign concerning questionable solicitations for the purchase of prescription drugs, has been implemented by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. Nicknamed the "drug spammer bill," Delisi's legislation calls for a jointly-established public education campaign by the two agencies to inform Texans on how to safely purchase pharmaceuticals over the Internet. This public information campaign is now underway.
Attorney General Abbott kicked off the campaign with a guest editorial sent to media outlets across Texas. Entitled "Be careful before buying medicine online", the editorial offers sound advice on how to be a careful shopper for medications offered through the Internet.
Five key points were stressed in the column:
- ALWAYS consult your local pharmacist and doctor about buying medications online.
- ALWAYS check out online sites (based in the U.S.) independently through the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy at www.vipps.info.
- NEVER buy medications from a Web site based outside the U.S.
- NEVER buy medications from someone who does not request a prescription.
- NEVER rely on an online questionnaire or phone “consultation” with a Web site employee as a means to obtain a prescription.
"There are numerous instances in which foreign online pharmacies have sold counterfeit drugs that do not meet with U.S. quality standards," Abbott's editorial warns. "For example, active ingredient content might be higher or lower than what the package indicates, and in many instances, consumers have purchased drugs that had long since expired."
Rep. Delisi decided to file HB 1676 after receiving a stream of unsolicited offers for prescription medications in both her Capitol email accounts and fax machines. The ads often promised an ability to buy large quantities of prescription medications – including drugs with a high potential for abuse and addiction – without the need for a prescription or doctor visit. The junk emails and faxes also offered herbal or generic versions of name-brand prescription drugs.
Researching the issue brought home to Rep. Delisi how great the potential dangers were to consumers who did business with drug spammers. There was the risk of losing both your money and your health in responding to many of these shady offers.
"No reputable company advertises this way and that is the first bright red warning flag," Delisi stated. "You are being urged to send what may be large sums of money to an overseas company that has a web page on the Internet as their only form of contact. If you don't get what you ordered, you may come back later to discover that the slick web page is gone – as well as all your money."
"Worse, you may end up with drugs that are not what you ordered. Some may have no active ingredients or even be harmful to you," Delisi continued. "We take it for granted in this country that drugs are inspected for quality. But, this is not the case when buying from an overseas vendor. You pay the money and take your chances."
Rep. Delisi had praise for both Attorney General Abbott and the Board of Pharmacy for moving so quickly to implement this new consumer safety legislation.
"The Internet has opened up a new world for buying and selling of products, to include medications. While many opportunities exist for buying drugs from reputable pharmacies that offer real value to patients, there are some unscrupulous vendors out there. The key is for consumers to know how to tell the honest pharmacies from those they should avoid. The public information campaign now underway will give buyers the tools they need to make informed choices," Delisi concluded.
A copy of Attorney General Abbott's editorial may be read here:
0907onlinemeds.pdf
