Health Canada is alerting Canadians to the risks of buying prescription drugs online. The warning comes on the heels of an announcement from the RCMP of the dismantling of a counterfeit drug network in Montreal. The health department says the risks are especially high when drugs are shipped to Canadians from outside the country.
Some of the risks involved are:
- you may not be able to reach the company if there is a problem
- if the drugs come from another country, they may be stopped at customs and refused entry
- you may get counterfeit drugs with the wrong dose, wrong ingredients, dangerous additives, and no active ingredients, which could put your health at risk.
To protect yourself, the federal health department says to beware of companies that:
- do not give a street address, telephone number or way of contacting a pharmacist
- offer prescription drugs without a prescription
- offer to issue a prescription based on an online questionnaire
- claim a "miracle cure"
- sell products not approved for sale in Canada
- sell products directly from foreigh sources.
If you have run across suspected counterfeit prescription drugs, contact Health Canada at 1-800-267-9675.
Photo: Don Bishop / Photodisc / Getty Images
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