The federal government says fake versions of Lipitor and other prescription drugs are being found in Iowa and elsewhere — which people apparently bought over the Internet from Canada. Monty Scheele, the pharmacies director for a Midwestern drug store chain, says it’s not wise to gamble with your health.
Scheele says “When you’re considering your health care and medications you’re taking to improve or maintain your health, you certainly don’t want to jeopardize that by using medications that you can’t trust.” He says pharmacies large and small are joining into a nationwide program that tracks drugs.
Scheele says “We can trace the route of the medication from our pharmacy to the wholesaler to the manufacturer.” He says the tracking programs are extraordinarily valuable in maintaining the integrity of the medication.
Scheele says being able to look your pharmacist in the eye and get your questions answered locally is worth every penny. He says “Developing that trust and that relationship with your local pharmacist is the key. You’ve got to be able to trust someone with your health care, just like your physician and your dentist, you’ve got to develop that relationship with your pharmacy knowing that what they do behind the counter is going to optimize your health.”
Scheele says his customers often ask him about the discount drugs on-line. He says “Counterfeit medications are alive and well and they’re being sold on the Internet through mail order.” The F-D-A says consumers who bought drugs through ten websites should not use the medications because they may not be safe. The sites include r-x-north-dot-com, canadian-drugstore-dot-com and r-x-by-fax-dot-com.