Drug Importation and Safety of Drugs Obtained from Canada
In this issue of The Annals, Veronin et
al.1 discuss drug quality with a comparison
of simvastatin tablets from the US
and Canada obtained via the Internet. Using
near-infrared spectroscopic imaging,
the research found that generic simvastatin
manufactured in Canada was comparable
to the brand-name product made in the
US. The objective was to determine the
risks to Americans who decide to purchase
generic simvastatin from Canada.
Depending on the specifics of the drug importation legislation,
drug importation can allow individuals to purchase
drugs directly from pharmacies located outside the
US (personal drug importation) and/or it can allow US
wholesalers and pharmacies to buy directly from foreign
sources (commercial drug importation). Currently, the only
entity that can import a pharmaceutical product in the US
is the drug manufacturer.
By Marv Shepherd
19 June 2007