Maine made the record books this October by becoming the first state in the nation to allow residents to legally purchase prescription drugs legally from another country.
The Food and Drug Administration has been turning a blind eye to enforcing its current ban on buying medications in Canada — a common practice nonetheless for border residents, who have found some prescriptions are less costly in Canada, CBS reported. But Maine legislators now have given the stamp of approval, so nobody has to worry about an FDA bust down the line, if the federal body ever wanted to launch a campaign.
But on the heels of the law’s passage, medical experts are worrying. Prescription safety is a premium concern in the United States, but federal regulators can’t control the content of medicines in other nations.
And some concerns are worthy.
In 2003, the FDA warned the Canadian prescription company CanaRx on two separate occasions about shipments of insulin that were improperly cooled. The company never resolved the issue, opting instead to stop distribution of all medications that require refrigeration. Still, CanaRx executives say they’ve not had any other incidents and their medicines are safe.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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