The FDA has recently cautioned pet owners about buying pet meds online. In an article published in the FDA Consumer magazine it advised “The FDA has also found companies that sell counterfeit pet products, make fraudulent claims, dispense prescription drugs without requiring a prescription, and sell pet drugs that have expired. Pet owners who purchase drugs from these companies may think they are saving money, but in reality they may be short-changing their pet’s health and putting its life at risk.”
The two most common Internet purchases are anti-inflammatory drugs and products to treat heart worm both of which are available on www.MedStoreInternational.com .
What the FDA does not point out is that genuine products are also sold on the Internet and they are always at significantly lower prices. So while animal owners should first seek professional advice they do not have to buy the treatments from their veterinarians. Why is it that vets sell these products anyway? Doctors do not sell prescription drugs.
Because some animal owners have self diagnosed and then treated their animals incorrectly does not create a strong case for condemning Internet pharmacy for pet meds. Taking a position supported only by extreme examples is the weakest form of argument on any issue.
Many thinly disguised, self interested lobby groups argue from extremes against Internet pharmacy for human health products. They drag out the same (very few) horror stories associated with purchasing drugs online and use these to condemn online pharmacy altogether. They present worst case problems but fail to acknowledge the the millions of satisfied customers who save billions of dollars annually by using online pharmacies for themselves and their pets.
The FDA also warns against online pharmacy for human health products, but that to be expected. It’s the FDA’s role to protect the unwary against harm. However as long as there are ways to verify that online pharmacies have genuine pharmacies and pharmacists behind them, online pharmacy has a strong role to play in providing affordable health care products to consumers.