Where Do You Get Your Medication?

If you are purchasing your medication from anywhere but a Canadian pharmacy, then you could be at risk.

Counterfeit medicines are a serious worldwide health threat. Fake medications can give patients a false sense of security, (particularly in the case of counterfeit vaccines, birth control pills, etc.) result in ineffective treatments or, in the worst case scenarios, death.

Health Canada is reminding Canadians about the potential dangers of buying prescription drugs online, following the July 4^th release of the British Columbia Coroner’s report revealing that the use of prescription drugs purchased online led to a woman’s death. The Canadian Pharmacy Association also warns Canadians against believing claims made on internet pharmacy websites

While counterfeit medicines have been a problem for at least the past two decades, our increasingly global economy and improvements in technology have made this illegal industry more lucrative and more difficult to control. E-commerce alone has dramatically contributed to the growth of this problem as sellers use unauthorized websites to distribute fake products.

ProtectMyMeds.com, a Canadian website, offers a comprehensive resource for up-to-date information on counterfeit medicines. Here you can read the latest news coverage, statistics about counterfeit medicines, or position statements from international patient and healthcare organizations.

Staff Writers
First published in The Inside Tract® Newsletter Issue 163 September/October 2007