Safety of Canada's internet pharmacies questioned
Last Updated: Friday, February 13, 2004 | 8:41 AM ET
CBC News
The study's findings came from a Minnesota delegation that inspected eight Canadian internet pharmacies two months ago. The report didn't reveal which individual pharmacies made mistakes.
The study was commissioned by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who has said the state could save hundreds of millions of dollars by importing Canadian drugs rather than buying them at home.
The team of Minnesota inspectors said one of the pharmacies they visited didn't check patient history of drug allergies before sending medication.
At another pharmacy, drugs requiring refrigeration were shipped improperly.
One online pharmacy used an automated system that filled out 300 prescriptions in one hour.
"Three hundred prescriptions in one hour is one prescription every 12 seconds. I don't think I could put a label on the bottle in 12 seconds," said Michelle Fontaine, a Manitoba pharmacist who represents a coalition against online pharmacies.
Dave Mackay
"There are no regulations for [online pharmacies]. There's nothing to ensure that there's patient safety," Fontaine said.
"It's allowed to grow because it's been economically viable in creating jobs. Nobody's looked at it as a health care issue."
Dave Mackay, a spokesperson for Canada's Internet Pharmacy Association, said the pharmacies intend to address the problems.
"We're not surprised, there's a few things we need to do because we don't always have the resources to police our members, per se."
