why are pharmaceutical companies allowed to sell prescription only medications over the internet?
827782
we can buy animal controlled drugs for our dogs via the internet, but we have to send them the vets prescription prior to the delivery. maybe its the same for human drugs ?
957702
ebay for strips and lancets.  i would never purchase drugs online.  It is illegal and very dangerous.
432234
Prescription drugs have to go through a study...just like that...before any rational doctor will precribe them and before the FDA will even approve them!
49316
You can purchase them at Riteaid, Drugstore.com, Walgreens.com, CVS.com as long as you have a valid prescription from a doctor.  If you don't, you can't buy them legally anywhere.
821669
It's not legal no matter how you buy it, because here it is a prescription only drug.  You can buy it out of country and get away with it. Just don't get caught with it with no prescription.
342334
Because the Canadian government offers a "take it or leave it" price to the drug companies on each drug, based mostly on the average world price, and generally they accept it. But, it is not all perfect. There are some drugs available in the US that are not available in Canada, partly because of this policy.
197854
Yes I have seen it. And I believe it.  The pharmaceutical companies should have better testing requirements for the medications that they make, and push on the general public.
813593
Well, it's illegal for companies to sell contact lenses over the internet without verifying that the buyer has the proper prescription.  There are a million laws involving permits and the FDA which apply to anyone selling contact lenses.  They seem to mostly refer to vendors who are selling large amounts.  \n\n"In the United States sale of all contact lenses is restricted to licensed professionals."\n"Contact lenses must be sold by, or under the supervision of, either a registered optician or doctor"  There was a major EBay lawsuit over this where they were accused of 'aiding and abetting' (EBay won though).\n\nSo, yes, it is illegal for you to sell them but I have no idea what the penalty would be if a regular person was caught selling a few boxes.
879573
Not legally, at least in the United States.  Mind you, there are places that will either sell it to you illegally (a bit rare, being a felony and all) or have a doctor on staff look over a questionnaire you fill out and then prescribe the drug (much more common).  he FDA is currently looking into requiring any doctor writing a prescription to have a face-to-face consultation with/evaluation of the patient.
960631
There's supposed to be, but it's not fool-proof yet. Any one who knows about this, and knows where, when and who should report it. The business who is allowing large sales of medicine, unless it is to a doctor or a pharmacist, could be charged I believe. I would talk to someone in the know about it, police or your doctor. Just say you're concerned about it, and you would like to know if it's legal or what.
416903
It's because the phamacy company of the world is a big "drug dealer". They are greedy and money hungry. They give you drugs that temporary cures your problem, and then gets you dependent on them. Once you are dependent, then the have more control. The phamacy company produces drugs, and once you taken them, they will give you something else, and then it's another pill you have to take to be comfortable. (i.e. this company that i won't mention its name, make a allergy medicine for pollen..whatever... if you stop taken them you will get hives. and coincedently, the other medicine they make are hives medicine.
704533
Most doctors are 'romanced' by pharmaceutical reps every weeks. These reps offer 'incentives' to doctors who write their product a lot. My brother in law in a rep and he has taken docs to games, dinners, bought them medical equipment for their offices, etc... I have even heard of docs getting trips and other gifts. Brand drugs need to be SOLD, and as a selling profession, there has to be incentive. The active ingredients in all generics MUST, by law, be the same as their brand equivalent and vise verse. Only the 'fillers' can be altered in generics, such as coating of pill, colorant, inactive medium, etc...\n\nSome doctors may actually prefer some brand Rx over their generic equivalents, but it is not standard. The only time a doctor really needs - in my opinion - to prescribe a brand when a generic is available is if the Pt is allergic to the inactive ingredients in the generic. This is not common. But and example would be, say, someone who is allergic to wheat could not take a med with a wheat based suspension.\n\nHope this helps. There is much debate over Generic vs. Brand in the us today. Pharmaceutical companies make a lot of money and fund a lot of drug research all over the world. This is the only other argument I can think of to support selling brand Rx.
1019519
Pharmaceutical companies
1181480
Nope- only certain medications can be used in that fashion, and they will be marked as such.
906290
There has been some misinformation in response to your question. Doctors do not get paid to prescribe certain medications. Be careful of the information provided by "hushnowjustplayit," as she has confused some of her information. Some doctors do participate in clinical trials, in which actual drugs and placebos are used, but patients are NEVER entered into these trials without their knowledge and written consent. The physician is not paid for prescribing the drug, but for conducting the research itself (monitoring patients' progress, evaluating the data, etc.). Pharmaceutical companies often meet with doctors, or even buy them lunch or offer small gimicks, to explain what they believe are the benefits of their products. They are not legally allowed to offer trips (this law has been in place for nearly twenty years) and, in my experience, the drugs doctors actually prescribe are not influenced by which drug reps ("salespeople") have recently brought lunch. The only possible exception is free samples - when there are equivalent drugs on the market, a physician may be more inclined to start a patient on the drug for which he can provide free samples. \n\nIn short, doctors get nothing for prescribing a prescription for you. Doctors are constantly battling with insurance companies, just like their patients, and most of the physicians I know are disgusted with the current price of medications and the general state of American healthcare. \n\nIn regards to your second question, MDs are largely trained only in methods that have been supported by hard science. They are not against homeopathic cures, but merely cautious of any remedy that has not been thoroughly evaluated. As mentioned by "ladyscientist," a DO (Doctor of Osteopathy) would provide more homeopathic methods for treating illnesses, and may be a better fit for you than a traditional MD.
434130
i am a doctor and i can give u advice,but i wouldnt prescribe because the clinical picture can never be understood without actually examining a patient.\nthe advice is limited because the information u can provide is limited and also because it might vary in system depending on the country u r in and i m in.\nif u want to be treated for a problem, u will have to physically present yourself and online prescription is never going to be good or safe.\nchandan947@rediffmail.com
249840
Actually drug companies don't have a responsibility to the patients. But they have a single responsibility to its share holders; to increase the profits. Unfortunately, they are companies trying to make money. They want to be well, but they don't want to give you a pill that will cure you. They want you to take the pill for the rest of your life so they can make money while you can be disease-free. For AIDS, we don't have a single pill that can make you well. But we have a so-called "cocktail", which is a combination of a dozen or so of pills, that you have to take for the rest of your life.