"Canadian" Pharmacies Often Aren't, Says the FDA

Some online pharmacies purportedly operating out of Canada are actually running their operations out of several countries -- and selling counterfeit products in some instances, the FDA warned yesterday.

The agency says that Mediplan Prescription Plus Pharmacy and Mediplan Global Health of Manitoba are selling counterfeits of Lipitor, Crestor, Nexium, and Celebrex, among other drugs. Sites selling drugs from Mediplan include RxNorth.com; Canadiandrugstore.com; and Northcountryrx.com.

A year ago, the FDA reports, drug seizures were made at several U.S. airports, and the ensuing investigation revealed that of the seized drugs (some counterfeit) labeled as originating in Canadian pharmacies, 85% actually came from 27 other countries.