Use only accredited online pharmacies

The two chambers of the U.S. Congress have passed a bill designed to stop and/or regulate online rogue pharmacies that sell medicines and controlled substances without prescription.

The legislation requires online pharmacies to place key information on their home pages, such as the identity of the business, the pharmacist and doctors who participate in or are associated with their operations.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said the legislation will put a stop to criminal groups illegally selling controlled substances online, which has placed these drugs within reach of teenagers. The DEA is tasked to police the distribution and sale of controlled substances due to the potential for abuse and addiction.

Once the bill (known as the Online Pharmacy Consumer Protect Act of 2007) is signed into law, online pharmacies will be prohibited from selling medicines to anyone unless a valid prescription is presented. Such prescriptions must be issued by a physician who has conducted at least one medical examination in person on the would-be purchaser.

The Act also requires a pharmacy to obtain an endorsement from the DEA prior to actual sale and distribution of controlled substances through online sites. This endorsement cannot be obtained unless there is a brick-and-mortar pharmacy with a current registration that supplies drugs to the Internet pharmacy. The DEA can then examine all applications for registration and endorsement, enabling the agency to determine legitimate and illegitimate online pharmacies.

The Act will not affect legitimate online pharmacies since they already follow similar strict rules on their customers.

The abuse of controlled prescription drugs has reached alarming proportions. People who admit to this type of drug abuse reached 15.8 million in 2006, or double the rate in 1992, according to estimates by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. More alarming, this number is greater than the incidence of abuse on cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and inhalants.

The particular public health concern focuses on teenagers, who are likely to buy drugs from rogue online pharmacies. Roughly 2.2 million teens (aged 12-17) admitted to prescription drug abuse in 2006.

While the Act will boost DEA efforts to enforce controlled substances laws and stipulate their application to the Internet, it carries some limitations.

* It does not target online pharmacies based outside the territorial limits of the U.S.

* The Act does not contain provisions on the issue of non-controlled prescription drugs (e.g. popular painkillers, muscle relaxants, erectile-dysfunction drugs, and hair-loss medications) sold widely on rogue sites.

* It does not prescribe any rules for Internet search engines, credit-card companies, and package-delivery firms. The services provided by these companies are critical in the operation of online pharmacies.

Still, the Act enables state and federal authorities to cooperate in enforcing the law on online operations that conduct illegal activities across state boundaries.

Safety Tip:

* Purchase drugs only from legal online pharmacies. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy provides a list of accredited online pharmacies on their website.