Announcement:
The Canadian Internet Drug Sales Roundtable will take place during the NABP 113th Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida on May 20, 2017 from 10:00 am to noon in the Atlantic Room on the Convention Level (1st Floor) of theHyatt Regency Orlando. This roundtable is being organized by the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global) and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).
The Issue:
- “Canadian” Internet pharmacies and other illegal sources of medicines online often sell under the guise of a legitimate online pharmacy within Canada – where the sale of over-the-counter and prescription medications is legal.
- Criminal enterprises and other bad actors hawk falsified or substandard products to unassuming consumers, often putting their health and personal/financial information at risk.
- The issue of illegal online drug sellers is not localized to one country. Rather, many illegal websites claim legitimacy through using the maple leaf.
Background:
- Under Canada’s Food and Drugs Act and Food and Drug Regulations, the sale of over-the-counter and prescription medications are allowed through pharmacies advertising online (“internet pharmacies”).
- Internet pharmacies, while permissible in Canada, must comply with federal and provincial regulations, and must be affiliated with licensed brick-and-mortar pharmacy.
- Provincial Canada regulations may prohibit the international dispensing and sale of prescription medications through an Internet pharmacy.
- Enforcement activity against non-pharmacy ‘bad actors’ purporting to be licensed in Canada Provinces and/or Canada is difficult to undertake and often results in few, if any, prosecutions.
Agenda:
- Welcome Comments and Introductions (10 min)
- Framing the Issue (10 min)
- Canada Online Pharmacies (10 min)
- What’s Washington got to do with it? (10 min)
- Addressing Consumers’ Needs (5 min)
- Open Discussion (participant experiences, enforcement, prescription drug importation issues, consumer and healthcare provider education, and tools to ensure patient safety online) (65 min)
- Concluding Comments and Next Steps (10 min)
Speakers:
- Libby Baney, Executive Director, ASOP Global
- Melissa Madigan, Policy and Communications Director, NABP
- Ron Guse, NABP .pharmacy Canadian Consultant and Former Manitoba Provincial Regulator
ASOP Global and NABP are organizing two Canadian Internet Drug Sales Roundtables to take place at already scheduled events in Orlando, Florida and Québec, Canada. This announcement is for the May 20 Roundtable in Orlando, which will take place during the NABP 113th Annual Meeting. A second Canadian Internet Drug Sales Roundtable will take place on June 4 in Québec City during the Canadian Pharmacists Conference 2017, held by the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPhA). ASOP Global and NABP hope to bring key stakeholders (regulators, pharmacists, and pharmaceutical industry reps) together during these Roundtables to determine how to best educate key regulatory officials, providers, and other interested parties as to the risks of purchasing medications online through supposed “Canadian” Internet pharmacies and to agree upon actions and next steps.