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Bridget M. Kuehn

JAMA. 2007;298(8):853.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Overseas Internet pharmacies attract some US consumers looking for a bargain, but many US pharmacies offer less expensive generic versions of the same drugs, according to new data from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A recent FDA examination of the foreign drugs that were intercepted on their way to US consumers found that 45% of the products are available in the United States as FDA-approved generic drugs. Additionally, half of the drugs are available through national pharmacy chains that fill generic prescriptions for $4 each, significantly less than is charged by Internet pharmacies, according to the FDA. Some examples of intercepted drugs available as low-cost generics at US pharmacies are amoxicillin capsules, fluoxetine capsules, levothyroxine tablets, and warfarin tablets.

With many of the intercepted drugs, investigators found safety problems such as inadequate labeling, unsafe packaging, or inappropriate doses. Others have been withdrawn from the US . . . [Full Text of this Article]