Pharmacists warn about mail order drugs

Iowa pharmacists are concerned about storefront distributors they say are selling mail-order drugs from Canada. Pharmacist Jerry Karbeling says only licensed pharmacies should sell prescription medications.Even the Food and Drug Administration’s concerned about the quality of such drugs being manipulated and whether some “counterfeit” drugs are being sold. While lower-priced drugs from Canada may be appealing, Karbeling says they don’t offer the safeguards of a licensed pharmacist. They’re potent medications and patients should get oversight and care they’ll receive from a pharmacist. This weekend some 300 pharmacists and pharmacy technicians gather in Cedar Rapids for the annual meeting of the Iowa Pharmacy Association. Karbeling says the group’s had reports that a storefront operation has opened, in a Davenport insurance agents’ office.