Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112776

Ilyssa E. Hollander, MPH, Social Sectors Development Strategies, Inc, 1411 Washington St, Suite 6, Boston, MA 02118, 508.233.4222, ihollander@ssds.net and Maggie Huff-Rousselle, MA, MBA, PhD, Social Sectors Development Strategies, Inc., 1411 Washington Street, No.6, Boston, MA 02118.

As the Internet has become an established venue for trade and information exchange, it has offered an attractive new channel for the pharmaceutical retail and wholesale industry. The high costs of domestic pharmaceuticals in the United States have led state governments, organizations, and individual consumers to seek drugs via the Internet across national borders. The legality, potential benefits and risks, and regulation of cross-border Internet pharmacies – as well as the very existence of Internet pharmacies – are sources of controversy. In order to understand the debate and policy options one must critically examine this newest breed of pharmacy as viewed by consumers, government entities responsible for pharmaceutical expenditure, pharmaceutical companies, and government regulators. Controversy surrounding Canadian Internet pharmacies that directly provide drugs to US consumers exemplifies the issues surrounding this public debate. Divergent viewpoints on Internet pharmacies are reflected in media coverage, academic literature, and reported government actions. These sources can be analyzed to better comprehend the complexity of Internet pharmacies, and can prove invaluable to the nascent area of Internet pharmacy regulation where practical evidence on which to base decisions is frequently somewhat speculative. Viewpoints among all involved in pharmaceutical retail must be appreciated and incorporated into regulatory and legal decisions. Eventual decisions on the regulation of cross-border Internet pharmacies in the US and Canada will have global implications. Internet pharmacies will likely soon appeal to consumers or governments in nations lacking affordable drugs, and experiences from the US and Canada can aid in regulatory and policy decisions.

Learning Objectives:

• Articulate different viewpoints on cross-border Internet pharmacies in the United States and Canada.
• Recognize the need to address the issues and their implications any action can have on each player in the pharmaceutical consumption process.
• Apply analysis from the presentation as evidence to craft decisions in other countries that either currently face or will likely face similar dilemmas in the future.

Keywords: Pharmacies, Internet

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.