Credentialed online pharmacies are selling authentic, high-quality prescription drugs, according to a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Wall Street Journal's "Health Blog" reports.
For the study, researchers examined 370 brand name prescription drugs purchased from 41 different online pharmacies.
Study Findings
Researchers found that many unverified websites sold products that were not authentic, such as fake Viagra. However, they found that all of the prescription drugs sold by credentialed online pharmacies -- including credentialed online pharmacies based outside the U.S. -- were authentic.
Roger Bate of the American Enterprise Institute, one of the authors of the study, said, "That would lead me to believe these credentialed sites most of the time, if not all of the time, are selling good quality drugs."
Credentialing Organizations
Researchers noted that the credentialing organizations that certify U.S.-based online pharmacies are:
Organizations that certify online pharmacies based outside the U.S. include:
- The Canadian International Pharmacy Association; and
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PharmacyChecker.com (Rockoff, "Health Blog," Wall Street Journal, 3/29).