Internet Pharmacies: Some Pose Safety Risks for Consumers

June 2004 Internet Pharmacies: Some Pose Safety Risks for Consumers GAO obtained most of the prescription drugs it targeted from a variety of Internet pharmacy Web sites without providing a prescription. GAO obtained 68 samples of 11 different drugs each from a different pharmacy Web site in the United States, Canada, or other foreign countries, including Argentina, Costa Rica, Fiji, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Spain, Thailand, and Turkey. Five U.S. and all 18 Canadian pharmacy sites from which GAO received samples required a patient-provided prescription, whereas the remaining 24 U.S. and all 21 foreign pharmacy sites outside . . .