美国药房协会对进口处方药的管理.pdf

National Association of Boards of Pharmacy Position Paper on the Importation of Foreign Prescription Drugs March 2003 Patients in the United States are facing a crisis. Access to affordable medications is driving patients outside of the US regulatory system into unidentified and unregulated areas. Purchasing medications from unknown and illegal sources via the Internet and other means is compromising the US medication distribution system and making US citizens vulnerable to bioterrorism attacks. Data collected by NABP indicates that the importation of drugs from foreign countries is fast becoming a concern for state and federal regulators. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that approximately two million parcels containing FDA-regulated products for 1 personal use enter this country annually through international mail facilities. Other sources estimate that nearly 70 pharmacies in Canada (40 in Manitoba) shipped almost $500 million 2 dollars worth of prescriptions into the US in 2002. Fueling this mass exodus from US pharmacies to foreign outlets, particularly Canadian pharmacies, are US prescription drug prices and weak foreign currencies. These two factors allow for substantial savings by US patients on their prescription medications. As an organization whose primary concern is assisting its member state boards of pharmacy in 3 protecting the public health, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) is concerned that, while some Americans are choosing between purchasing their prescription medications and purchasing other staple necessities, others are ignoring