wmjgcsy said on November 21, 2007 02:27:

Low apr credit cards Buying Drugs Online:
It’s Convenient and Private, but Beware of ’Rogue Sites’
Instant approval cards
The scene is becoming increasingly common in the United States:
Consumers are Balance transfer credit cards replacing a trip to the corner drugstore with a click onto
the Internet, where Credit report they find hundreds of Websites selling prescription
drugs and other health pro Credit score ducts.

Many of these are lawful enterprises that genuinely offer convenience, Credit card offer
privacy, and the safeguards of traditional procedures for prescribing
drugs. Credit card application For the most part, consumers can use these services with the same
confidence th Credit card debt ey have in their neighborhood pharmacist. In fact, while
some are familiar larg Buy Allegra e drugstore chains, many of these legitimate
businesses are local “mom and pop” Buy Zyrtec pharmacies, set up to serve their
customers electronically.

But consumers m Buy Diflucan ust be wary of others who are using the Internet as an
outlet for products or p Buy Zovirax ractices that are already illegal in the offline
world. These so-called “rogue Buy Desyrel sites” either sell unapproved products, or
if they deal in approved ones, often Buy Effexor sidestep established procedures
meant to protect consumers. For example, some Buy Paxil sites require customers
only to fill out a questionnaire before ordering prescr Buy Prozac iption drugs,
bypassing any face-to-face interaction with a health professional Buy Risperdal .

“This practice undermines safeguards of a direct medical supervision and
p Buy Zoloft hysical evaluation performed by a licensed health professional,” says
Jeffrey S Buy Augmentin huren, M.D., medical officer in the Food and Drug
Administration’s Office of Po Buy Cephalexin licy, Planning and Legislation. “The
Internet makes it easy to bypass this safe Buy Levaquin ty net.”

Skirting the system this way sets the stage for problems that includ Buy Zithromax e
dangerous drug interactions and harm from contaminated, counterfeit or
outda Buy Aristocort ted drugs. “Websites that prescribe based on a questionnaire raise
additional h Buy Singulair ealth concerns,” says Shuren. “Patients risk obtaining an
inappropriate medicat Buy Inderal ion and may sacrifice the opportunity for a correct
diagnosis or the identifica Buy Norvasc tion of a contraindication to the drug.”

To date, FDA has received only a few Buy Plavix reports of adverse events related
to Internet drug sales, but some of these ca Buy Tenormin ses point out the potential
danger of buying prescription drugs on the basis of Buy Nolvadex just a
questionnaire. For example, a 52-year-old Illinois man with episodes of Buy Lipitor
chest pain and a family history of heart disease died of a heart attack
in Ma Buy Zocor rch 1999 after buying the impotence drug Viagra (sildenafil
citrate) from an on Buy Nexium line source that required only answers to a
questionnaire to qualify for the pr Buy Glucophage escription. Though there is no proof
linking the man’s death to the drug, FDA o Buy Retin fficials say that a
traditional doctor-patient relationship, along with a physi Buy Propecia cal
examination, may have uncovered any health problems such as heart
disease Buy Imovane and could have ensured that proper treatments were prescribed.

FDA is investi Buy Cialis gating numerous pharmaceutical Websites suspected of
breaking the law and plans Buy Sleepwell to take legal action if appropriate. The
agency has made Internet surveillance Buy Caverta an enforcement priority, targeting
unapproved new drugs, health fraud, and pre Buy Kamagra scription drugs sold without
a valid prescription.

A Brave New World

More Buy Levitra and more consumers are using the Internet for health reasons.
According to the Buy Viagra market research firm Cyber Dialogue Inc., health
concerns are the sixth most c Buy Imuran ommon reason people go online. Internet
drugstores, however, won’t make “brick Buy Celebrex and mortar” pharmacies obsolete
anytime soon. Over 3 billion prescriptions were Buy Deltasone dispensed in 1999, and
though no reliable figures gauging total online sales a Buy Motrin re yet available,
industry sources say that number is likely still fairly small Buy Soma .

For some people, buying prescription drugs online offers advantages not
av Buy Naprosyn ailable from a local drugstore, including:

- greater availability of drugs fo Buy Neurontin r shut-in people or those who live far
from the pharmacy
- the ease of compara Buy Soma tive shopping among many sites to find the best
prices and products
- greater Buy Tylenol convenience and variety of products
- easier access to written product informat Buy Slimfast ion and references to other
sources than in traditional storefront pharmacies
Buy Zyban - the ability for consumers to order products and consult with a
pharmacist in Buy Obestat the privacy of their homes

Internet drug shopping also purports to save consu Buy Xenical mers money. In some
cases this is true. A survey in the fall of 1999 by Consume Buy Hoodia r Reports
showed that buyers could save as much as 29 percent by obtaining cert Buy Phentermine ain
drugs online. But another study, conducted in 1999 by the University of
Pe Buy Xenical nnsylvania and published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, tracked
Internet s Buy Danazol ales of Viagra and Propecia and found that the two drugs were
an average of 10 Buy Fosamax percent more expensive online than at local
Philadelphia-area pharmacies.

In Buy Premarin another part of that study, researchers Bernard Bloom, Ph.D., and
Ronald Ianno Buy Ultram cone found that 37 of the 46 sites they examined either
required a prescription Soma from a personal physician or offered to
prescribe a medication based solely on Meridia a questionnaire. But nine sites,
all based outside the United States, did not Acyclovir require a prescription. The
researchers also found that even when Websites offe Hydrocodone red a questionnaire
with the promise that a physician would review the form, no Zyban thing was
generally known about the doctor’s qualifications, and it was easy fo Xenical r
users to provide false information to obtain a prescription.

Consumers see Valtrex king health products online can find dozens of sites that
FDA officials say are Ambien legally questionable. A number of them specialize
in providing drugs such as V Zovirax iagra, the baldness therapy Propecia
(finasteride), or the weight-loss treatmen Xanax t Xenical (orlistat). Others,
based in foreign countries, promise to deliver pr Dianabol escription drugs at a
much cheaper price than their domestic cost, but the drug Alprazolam s may be
different from those approved in the United States or may be past thei Renova r
expiration dates. Still other sites make fraudulent health claims or
blatant Cialis ly advertise that a customer can buy drugs with no prescription.
Online drug si Bontril tes can now be located in nearly any state or country
having phone lines.

So Atarax me feel new laws will be needed to improve this situation. “Currently,
there is Ativan nothing to require a drug-dispensing Website to disclose
anything to the publi Zyrtec c,” says Rep. Ron Klink (D-Pa.), who is sponsoring
Internet pharmacy legislatio Diflucan n. “Buyers have no way of knowing whether a
site is licensed or if the site use Butalbital s licensed doctors or pharmacists or
even in what state they are located.” Klin Propecia k’s bill would require
Internet-based pharmacies to list the name, address and Valium phone number of
the principal place of business, the name of each pharmacist an Phentermine d health
professional who provides medical consultation, and the states where t Zoloft he
pharmacy, pharmacists, and other health professionals are licensed.

Certa Norco in pharmacy industry representatives oppose legislation or
additional powers fo Diazepam r regulatory agencies on the premise that current
laws are sufficient to addres Cipro s the problem. “There are [controls]
already in place for regulating pharmaceut Celexa ical sales,” says Mary Ann
Wagner, vice president of pharmacy regulatory affair Codeine s for the National
Association of Chain Drug Stores. “That hasn’t changed.”

Lorazepam Overseeing Online Sales

Whether new legislation will improve oversight of onl Nexium ine pharmacies
remains to be seen. For the moment, regulators have entered what Tramadol FDA’s
Shuren calls “a whole new ball game” that cuts across the limited
juris Wellbutrin dictions of several federal and state agencies. State medical
boards regulate m Famvir edical practice, while state pharmacy boards oversee
pharmacy practice. FDA and Viagra the Federal Trade Commission ensure that drug
sellers make legal claims for th Tylenol eir products. Numerous other agencies
such as the U.S. Customs Service and the Ultram U.S. Postal Service enforce
laws regarding the shipment of drug products.

FD Carisoprodol A regulates the safety, effectiveness and manufacturing of
pharmaceutical drugs Lipitor , as well as a part of the prescribing process. “It
is a violation of the Food, Effexor Drug, and Cosmetic Act to sell a
prescription drug without a valid prescriptio Tamiflu n,” says Shuren.
“Therefore, FDA can take action against sites that bypass this Didrex
requirement.” He adds that the advantage of FDA being involved is that
states Vicodin have difficulty enforcing their laws across state boundaries. If
one state suc Adipex cessfully shuts down an illegal Website within its borders,
the site theoretica Fioricet lly still has 49 other potential locales in which to
sell. However, if the fede Adderall ral government shuts down an illegal Website,
that operation is out of business Prozac .

In July 1999, FDA announced that it was joining forces with state
regulato Lortab ry agencies and law enforcement groups to combat illegal
domestic sales of pres Levitra cription drugs. The agency signed agreements with
the National Association of B Paxil oards of Pharmacy and the Federation of
State Medical Boards. These organizatio Ringtones ns have made a commitment to help
enforce federal and state laws against unlawf Free Ringtones ul Internet sellers and
prescribers of drugs in the United States.

Though re Download Free Ringtones gulating Internet sales of health products is still fairly new,
FDA has success Cingular Ringtones fully taken action in the past against illegal sites. For
example, a California Madonna Ringtones company called Lei-Home Access Care in 1996 and
1997 used the Internet to sell Selena Ringtones a home kit advertised as a blood test for
the AIDS virus. Not only was the kit Free Sprint Ringtones unapproved, but the maker also
fabricated test results given to users who subm Free Cingular Ringtones itted a drop of blood.
After an extensive FDA investigation, the site was shut Lil Wayne Ringtones down, and its
operator, Lawrence Greene, was sentenced to more than five years Verizon Ringtones in
prison.

In July 1999, the Federal Trade Commission announced a program ca Beatles Ringtones lled
“Operation Cure.All,” which aims to stop bogus Internet claims for
produc Nextel Ringtones ts and treatments touted as cures for various diseases. Over two
years, the FTC Polyphonic Ringtones identified about 800 sites and numerous Usenet newsgroups
containing questiona Download Ringtones ble promotions.

“Miracle cures, once thought to be laughed out of existence, Dave Hollister Ringtones have found
a new medium,” says Jodie Bernstein, director of FTC’s Bureau of
Co Celtic Frost Ringtones nsumer Protection. “Consumers now spend millions on unproven,
deceptively marke Mosquito Ringtones ted products on the Web.”

As part of the program, four companies settled FTC Cell Phone Ringtones charges of deceptive
health claims. These included sites that claimed to cure a Lil Flip Ringtones rthritis with
a fatty acid derived from beef tallow, to treat cancer and AIDS w Elysium Ringtones ith a
Peruvian plant derivative, and to treat cancer and high blood pressure
w Tina Turner Ringtones ith magnetic devices. FDA is working closely with FTC on Operation
Cure.All and Free Verizon Ringtones has taken its own regulatory actions, such as sending
warning letters to help Butterfly Ringtones ensure that false and misleading statements are
removed from the Internet.

M Sprint Ringtones ore than a dozen states also have taken some kind of action against
Internet ph Kiss Ringtones armacies, including Kansas, which in 1999 prohibited several
pharmacies from op Pink Floyd Ringtones erating illegal Web-based businesses within the state.
Industry Polices Itself
Eminem Ringtones

At the same time that regulatory agencies are stepping up enforcement
effort Mp Ringtones s against illegal online drug sales, professional organizations
are launching p Alltel Ringtones rograms with the goal of cleaning house from within. In
late 1999, the National Motorola Ringtones Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)
unveiled its Verified Internet Pharma T Mobile Ringtones cy Practice Sites (VIPPS) program,
which provides consumers valuable informatio Remind Ringtones n about the credentials of
online pharmacies.

VIPPS is a voluntary certifica Nokia Ringtones tion program. The fairly rigid conditions
the online pharmacy must agree to for Free Nextel Ringtones acceptance into the program
include:
VIPPS officials say the program is espec Samsung Ringtones ially beneficial to seniors.
“There is particular concern among the elderly pop 50 Cent Free Ringtones ulation, which is
often the target of unscrupulous marketing ploys,” says Kevin Free Mp Ringtones Kinkade,
NABP executive committee chairman. “VIPPS will be of tremendous benef Verizon Wireless Ringtones it
to consumers who need to be certain that the prescription medications
they Lone Star Ringtones receive are from legitimate online pharmacies.” To date, six
businesses have be Darude Ringtones en awarded VIPPS certification: drugstore.com,
Merck-Medco Managed Care L.L.C., Hotlink Caller Ringtones planetRx.com, familymeds.com, CVS
Washington Inc., and Tel-Drug Inc.

At its Bright Eyes Ringtones June 1999 annual meeting, the American Medical Association
adopted guidelines Relient K Ringtones for doctors that specifically address Internet
prescriptions. These voluntary p Maxis Caller Ringtones rinciples recommend that doctors who
prescribe over the Internet follow minimum Free Real Ringtones standards of care. This
includes examining a patient to determine the medical Dance Last Ringtones problem,
discussing the risks and benefits of a drug with the patient, and
fol N Sync Ringtones lowing up to ensure the patient does not experience serious side
effects.

Ma Ringtones Converter ny in the pharmaceutical industry back the AMA’s action. “The
relationship betw Caller Ringtones een physician and patient is critically important, “
says Martin Hirsch, public New Ringtones affairs director for Roche Laboratories Inc.,
maker of Xenical. “We support gu Low apr credit cards idelines that will ensure that this
relationship continues.”

With regulatory Instant approval cards and voluntary actions in full swing, it still will be
hard to stay on top of i Balance transfer credit cards llegal Internet drug sales. “Even if the state
boards, FDA, and others do their Credit report jobs, consumers are going to need to be
educated about the issue,” says Wagner Credit score of the National Association of
Chain Drug Stores.

FDA plans to help increas Credit card offer e public awareness with an education campaign
that informs consumers about the Credit card application health, economic and legal risks of
online sales of medical products. The campa Credit card debt ign also will target
health-care practitioners and industry. Other federal and Buy Allegra private groups
are conducting similar outreach.

“Consumers need to know the Buy Zyrtec risks of buying prescription drugs online so
they can remain vigilant,” says FD Buy Diflucan A’s Shuren, ” The public also needs to
know,” he adds, “that there’s a price to Buy Zovirax pay for operating an illegal
Internet pharmacy. Even bringing a few highly pub Buy Desyrel licized cases into the
public eye will send a powerful message that these illeg Buy Effexor al sites will
not be tolerated.”

John Henkel is a member of FDA’s Website Ma Buy Paxil nagement Staff.

How Online Sales Work

In general, legitimate online pharma Buy Prozac cies operate this way:

- Users open an account with the pharmacy, submitting Buy Risperdal credit and insurance
information. The pharmacy is licensed to sell prescription Buy Zoloft drugs by the
state in which it operates and in those states to which it sells, Buy Augmentin if an
out-of-state license is required.

- After establishing an account, us Buy Cephalexin ers must submit a valid prescription.
Doctors can call it in or in some states Buy Levaquin email it, or users can deliver
it to the pharmacy by fax or mail.

- Some onl Buy Zithromax ine pharmacies send products from a central spot, while others
allow users to p Buy Aristocort ick the prescription up at a local drugstore.

- Prescriptions usually are del Buy Singulair ivered within three days, often for no
shipping charge. For an extra fee, many Buy Inderal sites will deliver overnight.

- Sites typically have a mechanism for users to Buy Norvasc ask questions of the
pharmacist, either through e-mail or a toll-free number.
Buy Plavix

What Consumers Can Do

With hundreds of drug-dispensing Websites in busines Buy Tenormin s, how can consumers
tell which sites are legitimate ones, especially when it i Buy Nolvadex s very easy to
set up a site that is very professional-looking and promises dee Buy Lipitor p
discounts or a minimum of hassles?

“Consumers need to be cautious,” says J Buy Zocor effrey Shuren, M.D., medical
officer in FDA’s Office of Policy, Planning and Le Buy Nexium gislation. “You should
use the same kind of common sense you use when buying fr Buy Glucophage om any business.
You look for a reputable dealer. You get recommendations from Buy Retin friends.
You check the place out.”

FDA offers these tips to consumers who bu Buy Propecia y health products online:

- Check with the National Association of Boards of Buy Imovane Pharmacy to determine
if the site is a licensed pharmacy in good standing (visi Buy Cialis t the Website
at www.nabp.net, or call 847-698-6227).

- Don’t buy from sites Buy Sleepwell that offer to prescribe a prescription drug for the
first time without a physi Buy Caverta cal exam, sell a prescription drug without a
prescription, or sell drugs not ap Buy Kamagra proved by FDA.

- Don’t do business with sites that do not provide access to a Buy Levitra registered
pharmacist to answer questions.

- Avoid sites that do not identi Buy Viagra fy with whom you are dealing and do not
provide a U.S. address and phone number Buy Imuran to contact if there’s a problem.

- Beware of sites that advertise a “new cur Buy Celebrex e” for a serious disorder or a
quick cure-all for a wide range of ailments.

Buy Deltasone - Be careful of sites that use impressive-sounding terminology to disguise
a la Buy Motrin ck of good science or those that claim the government, the medical
profession, Buy Soma or research scientists have conspired to suppress a product.

- Steer clear of Buy Naprosyn sites that include undocumented case histories claiming
“amazing” results.

Buy Neurontin - Talk to your health-care professional before using any medication for
the fir Buy Soma st time.

If you suspect a site is illegal, you can report it to FDA by visiti Buy Tylenol ng
the agency’s website at www.fda.gov and using the online reporting form.
A Buy Slimfast large number of tests are widely available. Many tests are specialized for a par Buy Zyban ticular disease or group of related diseases. Generally, specialized tests are d Buy Obestat escribed with the appropriate diseases in this book. However, other tests are us Buy Xenical ed commonly for a wide range of diseases.

Tests are performed for a variety o Buy Hoodia f reasons, including screening, diagnosing a disease, evaluating the severity of Buy Phentermine a disease so that treatment can be planned, and monitoring the response to trea Buy Xenical tment. Sometimes, a test may be used for more than one purpose. A blood test may Buy Danazol reveal that a person has too few red blood cells (anemia), and then the same te Buy Fosamax st may be repeated after treatment to check that the number of red blood cells h Buy Premarin as returned to normal. In some instances, a condition can be treated at the same Buy Ultram time a screening or diagnostic test is performed. For example, when colonoscopy Soma , a test in which a flexible viewing tube is used to examine the inside of the l Meridia arge intestine, reveals growths (polyps), they can be removed before colonoscopy Acyclovir is completed.

Types of Tests

Medical tests generally fall into one of six Hydrocodone categories: analysis of body fluids, imaging tests, endoscopy, measurement of b Zyban ody functions, biopsy, and analysis of genetic material in cells. In many instan Xenical ces, the lines that separate the categories become blurred. For example, endosco Valtrex py of the stomach enables the examiner to view the inside of the stomach as well Ambien as obtain tissue samples for examination in a laboratory.

Analysis of body f Zovirax luids most often consists of tests of the blood, urine, and fluid that surrounds Xanax the spinal cord and brain (cerebrospinal fluid). Less often, fluids such as swe Dianabol at and saliva and fluid from the digestive tract (for example, gastric juices) a Alprazolam re analyzed. Sometimes, the fluids analyzed are present only if a disease is pre Renova sent, such as when fluid collects in the abdomen (ascites) or in the space betwe Cialis en the two membranes covering the lungs (pleural effusion).

Imaging consists Bontril of tests that provide a picture of the inside of the body, either in its entiret Atarax y or only of certain parts. Ordinary x-rays are the most common imaging tests, b Ativan ut others include ultrasound, radioisotope (nuclear) scans, computed tomography Zyrtec (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and positron emission tomogr Diflucan aphy (PET) scans.

Endoscopy is the use of a viewing tube to directly observe Butalbital the inside of body organs or spaces (cavities). Most often, the endoscope is fle Propecia xible, although a few types are rigid. The tip of the endoscope is usually equip Valium ped with a light and a camera, so images can be seen on a television monitor whi Phentermine le the examiner is observing through the endoscope. Tools are often passed throu Zoloft gh a channel in the endoscope. One type of tool is used to cut and remove tissue Norco samples.

Endoscopy usually consists of passing the viewing tube through an e Diazepam xisting body opening. For example, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is accomplis Cipro hed by passing a viewing tube through the mouth. Colonoscopy involves passing a Celexa viewing tube through the anus. However, sometimes an opening in the body must be Codeine created. This can be done by making a small cut (incision) through the skin and Lorazepam through layers of tissue beneath the skin, so that the endoscope can be passed Nexium into a body cavity. For example, in arthroscopy, an endoscope is passed through Tramadol an incision to view a joint, such as the knee or shoulder.

Measurement of bod Wellbutrin y functions often involves recording and analyzing the activity of various body Famvir organs. For example, electrical activity of the heart is measured with electroca Viagra rdiography (ECG), and electrical activity of the brain is measured with electroe Tylenol ncephalography (EEG).

Biopsy involves removing tissue samples and examining t Ultram hem, usually with a microscope. The examination often focuses on finding abnorma Carisoprodol l cells that might provide evidence of inflammation or of a disease, such as can Lipitor cer. Tissues that are commonly examined include skin, breast, lung, liver, kidne Effexor y, and bone.

Analysis of genetic material usually involves testing cells from Tamiflu skin, blood, or bone marrow. Genetic testing consists of an examination for abn Didrex ormalities of chromosomes, genes, or both. Examination of genes includes analysi Vicodin s of DNA. Fetuses may undergo genetic testing to determine whether they have a g Adipex enetic disorder. Children and young adults often undergo genetic testing to dete Fioricet rmine whether they themselves have a disease or are at risk of a disease. Adults Adderall sometimes undergo genetic testing to help determine the likelihood that their r Prozac elatives, such as children or grandchildren, will develop certain diseases.

R Lortab isks and Results

Every test has some risk. The risk may be only the need for Levitra further testing if the result is abnormal, or it may be the possibility of injur Paxil y during the test. Doctors weigh the risk of a test against the usefulness of th Ringtones e information it will provide.

Normal test result values are expressed as a r Free Ringtones ange, which is based on the average values in a healthy population; 95% of healt Download Free Ringtones hy people have values within this range, but average values are slightly differe Cingular Ringtones nt for women and men and also may vary by age. These values also vary somewhat a Madonna Ringtones mong laboratories.
Needless Medical Tests Costly
Unnecessary Tests Ordered in Selena Ringtones 43 Percent of Checkups, Study Finds

(WebMD) During your next routine medical Free Sprint Ringtones checkup you have at least a 43 percent chance of undergoing an unnecessary medic Free Cingular Ringtones al test, a new study shows.

It’s not like you’re getting something for nothin Lil Wayne Ringtones g. If you’re not having symptoms, and your doctor has no reason to suspect you h Verizon Ringtones ave a problem, U.S. guidelines advise against giving you a routine urinalysis, e Beatles Ringtones lectrocardiogram, or X-ray.

“This has more harm than benefit,” says Dan Meren Nextel Ringtones stein, M.D., director of research in family medicine at Georgetown University. ” Polyphonic Ringtones The problem is, there are so many false-positive results from these tests. They Download Ringtones lead to other things, like biopsies.”

The tests are meant to help doctors exp Dave Hollister Ringtones lore specific symptoms that are troubling patients or raise suspicion of a probl Celtic Frost Ringtones em. If you’re a healthy person who’s just getting a routine checkup, there’s onl Mosquito Ringtones y a tiny chance the tests will find disease.

But Merenstein points out there’ Cell Phone Ringtones s a good chance the tests will get a slightly abnormal finding. That means furth Lil Flip Ringtones er costly tests

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