Prescription Drugs Special Report

Ordering Your Drugs Online?

"How to buy less expensive medications is one of the top questions I get from my patients," says Johns Hopkins lung specialist Peter B. Terry, M.D. One way to purchase medications at a reduced cost is to buy them online or by phone from Canadian pharmacies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opposes foreign drug purchases, warning that these sales pose serious safety problems. While importing Canadian medications is against U.S. policy, the FDA has said that it will not prosecute individuals who import small amounts (three months or less) for personal use. If you are considering ordering medications from Canada, remember that the FDA cannot guarantee the safety of those medications.

The American Association for Retired Persons (AARP), the leading non-profit, non-partisan membership organization for people aged 50 years and over in the United States, does not encourage Americans to break the present drug importation law. But with an estimated two million Americans already buying prescription medications from Canada, AARP has come up with guidelines to help consumers minimize their risk and ensure that the medications they receive are the ones their doctors have prescribed.