NABP-- National Association of Boards of Pharmacy-Shameful
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:27 amI was doing some research online, when I stumbled on the nabp website. According to their website, the NABP is independent, international and impartial. They also claim that they are in place to help their members create and implement standards with one purpose in mind: "The Protection of the Public Health"
As I dug deeper into their site, I found a list of 'Non Recommended' online pharmacy websites. On that list, there were several Canadian online pharmacy websites I have used to buy medication (with a prescription). The medication I received was exactly the same medication I used to buy at CVS before I lost my job (and insurance coverage). The websites I used were licensed, legal and extremely professional. I looked a little deeper-
According to the NABP, any Canadian online pharmacy, or website that links to a Canadian online pharmacy, is breaking the law. Once the NABP finds a website that they deem to be illegal (according to their standards), they add it to their list of Non Recommended Websites. According to them, their list of non recommended websites "appear" to be out of compliance with state and federal laws or NABP patient safety and pharmacy practice standards.
If you look at the list of online pharmacies they have on their website, you will see a number of extremely reputable, licensed pharmacy websites lumped in with extremely shady online pharmacies. I sat and wondered why they do this. After digging even deeper into their website, I came to this conclusion:
The NABP is comprised of people from various states' boards of pharmacy. People who sit on their board come from a range of backgrounds: educators, pharmacists and consultants to major US pharmacies. OF course they do not want consumers to order medication from Canada or other countries. As the number of people who order drugs online from Canada increase, US pharmacy profits will decrease. It does not look like they are really out to protect public health as much as they are out to protect their share of the profits. In Canada, they have an equivalent to the FDA that makes sure that medications manufactured in Canada meet comparable safety standards as the FDA requires here. The main difference is that medications bought in Canada can be less than half the price as the same medication in the US. US drug prices are among the highest in the world. Maybe if NABP was a little more concerned about regulating domestic medication prices they could help keep people from seeking less expensive, quality medication elsewhere. Furthermore, out of an estimated 40+million uninsured Americans, many go without necessary medication because they cannot afford it; and because organizations like the NABP scare them away from Canadian alternatives. If US people are once again able to afford US pharmacy prices, they would not be forced to go without. Wouldn't this truly Protect Public Health?
This is only my opinion. Thank you for giving me an arena in which I can express myself. I posted under the Good, the Bad and the Ugly because I would categorize any self serving, regulating body who operates under the disguise of non-profit status as BAD & UGLY.
As I dug deeper into their site, I found a list of 'Non Recommended' online pharmacy websites. On that list, there were several Canadian online pharmacy websites I have used to buy medication (with a prescription). The medication I received was exactly the same medication I used to buy at CVS before I lost my job (and insurance coverage). The websites I used were licensed, legal and extremely professional. I looked a little deeper-
According to the NABP, any Canadian online pharmacy, or website that links to a Canadian online pharmacy, is breaking the law. Once the NABP finds a website that they deem to be illegal (according to their standards), they add it to their list of Non Recommended Websites. According to them, their list of non recommended websites "appear" to be out of compliance with state and federal laws or NABP patient safety and pharmacy practice standards.
If you look at the list of online pharmacies they have on their website, you will see a number of extremely reputable, licensed pharmacy websites lumped in with extremely shady online pharmacies. I sat and wondered why they do this. After digging even deeper into their website, I came to this conclusion:
The NABP is comprised of people from various states' boards of pharmacy. People who sit on their board come from a range of backgrounds: educators, pharmacists and consultants to major US pharmacies. OF course they do not want consumers to order medication from Canada or other countries. As the number of people who order drugs online from Canada increase, US pharmacy profits will decrease. It does not look like they are really out to protect public health as much as they are out to protect their share of the profits. In Canada, they have an equivalent to the FDA that makes sure that medications manufactured in Canada meet comparable safety standards as the FDA requires here. The main difference is that medications bought in Canada can be less than half the price as the same medication in the US. US drug prices are among the highest in the world. Maybe if NABP was a little more concerned about regulating domestic medication prices they could help keep people from seeking less expensive, quality medication elsewhere. Furthermore, out of an estimated 40+million uninsured Americans, many go without necessary medication because they cannot afford it; and because organizations like the NABP scare them away from Canadian alternatives. If US people are once again able to afford US pharmacy prices, they would not be forced to go without. Wouldn't this truly Protect Public Health?
This is only my opinion. Thank you for giving me an arena in which I can express myself. I posted under the Good, the Bad and the Ugly because I would categorize any self serving, regulating body who operates under the disguise of non-profit status as BAD & UGLY.
