bromo
(Member)
09/30/03 07:27 PM
Many mail-order drugs risky, FDA finds

Here is an article I found in the Detroit Free Press, I have it in front of me so it is exactly verbatem.
date: 9/30/2003
Many mail-order drugs risky, FDA finds
Crackdown reveals misleading medicines
by Randolph E. Schmid, associated press
"Washington-Nearly 90 percent of the imported mail-ordered drugs stopped from delivery in a special crackdown by governement agents were potentially dangerous, the Food and Drug Adinistration said Monday.
Of 1,153 imported drugs collected by FDA and Customs agents, 1,019 were found to be illegal. They included drugs that have been withdrawn from the U.S. market, animal drugs never approved for human use, counterfeit drugs, drugs with dangrous interactions, drugs with dangerous side effects and narcotics, officials said.
The drugs were collected at international mail arrival centers in New york, Maimi, San Fransisco and Carson, Calif.
Imported drugs have become a hot political issue in recent years with many Americans seeking low-cost products from foreign sources. Buying drugs from Cananda is particularly popular because U.S.-produced drugs cost less there.
Responding to public concerns about high drug prices, Congress has been considering ways to permit at least some imports from Canada and other major countries. FDA Associate Commissioner William Hubbard said that even if the currrently proposed bill were passed, only about 20 percent of the drugs seized in the current crackdown would have been allowed through.
Hubbard said foreign governments do not take responsibility for the safety or quality of products mailed to U.S. consumers, and his agency cannot guarantee the safety of drugs made in plants it doesn't supervise.
Canada accounts for 15.8 percent of the impoted drugs stopped. Close behind was India, at 14.3 percent, followed by Thailand and the Phillipines. Other countries included Brazil, China, Peru, Fiji, the United Kingdom and Costa Rica.
FDA Assistant Commissioner Steve Niedelman said the agency does not take any legal action against people who order the drugs, but does tell them that the products are being withheld. Narcotics, which are not allowed to be sold by mail, are turned over to the Drug Enforcemnet Agency to be destroyed.
Hubbard said the actions were taken because congressional committees ahd questioned the agency about the volume of incoming drugs."
I indented the begining of these paragraphs but they won't transpose onto my thread, oh well. I'm going to take a wild guess here by saying that a large percentage of the drugs being described were anabolic steroids, ketamine (there is human ketamine, I think it's called Keta-ject but I'm not sure, however the majority is for veterinary use.), and news mosters like Ryphonol (I can never spell that right) and Vicodin were pretty high up there. I find this repoters staement that action isn't taken ageinst people who order the drugs somewhat puzzeling. Though I don't give very much credit to people here with low posts under their belt with scare stories and never see them again, sorry, that's my opinion and I won't debate it as it's been beaten to death on these boards. But I'm sure people are getting in trouble for ordering certain "evil" drugs like steroids and ketamine so I have to wonder under what pretences does Hubbard give that statement? Anyways I hope you enjoy the article.




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