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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 of Canada provided a
prescription based on their own medical questionnaire or had no
prescription requirement. Among the drugs GAO obtained without a
prescription were those with special safety restrictions and
highly addictive narcotic painkillers.
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