There is also an important patient-teaching piece. He will often suggest that patients put their pain medications in a locked cabinet to cut down on the possibility of theft. Another tip is to make sure those medications are kept out of visual range of visitors.
Evaluating Sources
For the physician, there are certain things to look for when evaluating sources for medication supply. First is whether or not the potential vendor is licensed by the appropriate federal and state authorities. If there are doubts, contact the maker of the medication to confirm that you are dealing with an established source of the company’s product.
Other indicators include:
- Packaging materials in a nonexpected language;
- Spelling or grammatical errors on the insert or the outside packaging;
- Package in poor condition;
- Seals that are not intact; and
- A look, color, and consistency of the product that is inconsistent with what you have seen previously.
“Price should be another red flag,” notes Kent. “There is a reason that these drugs are being sold so cheaply. They are not having to pay the costs associated with a regulated supply chain that produces a secure product.”
For the physician-administered medications, there are liability concerns that accrue when buying medications outside normal channels.
“It is a very high-risk activity,” says Dr. Mollo. “It brings exposure to malpractice if the medication is adulterated or the wrong strength. There is also the potential for criminal liability when submitting payment claims if products are not approved for use in the U.S.”
Medication Samples
Diverting medication samples sits at the cusp of legal and illegal uses. On the one hand, samples obtained from the pharmaceutical company or their proxies most often flows through legitimate markets. On the other, selling medications obtained for free constitutes fraud when paid for by Medicare, Medicaid, or insurance companies.
The rise of mail-order and Internet-based sources for medications has further muddied the waters, especially when patients are involved. Although many of these advertise cheap medicines, it is very much a buyer-beware endeavor.
“The FDA advises consumers to use caution when buying prescription medicines online as many websites that appear to reputable and similar to legitimate retail pharmacies actually operate from outside the United States,” says Clark-Lynn. “It is very easy for these online resellers to pretend to be from Canada or another country when they are really operating from the far reaches of the globe. Although a country may have a strong regulatory process, U.S. consumers cannot rely on the fact that the products they are buying have been approved in that country.”
Internet and Mail-Order Sources
The experts agree that the Internet sites of established national, regional, and local pharmacies are as safe as their brick-and-mortar affiliates. A person can also confidently use mail-order outlets of these companies and any mail-order pharmacies endorsed by their insurance companies.
