For months, governments around the globe have been beating the drums about the H1N1 threat and the need for flu vaccination. Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers to be very careful about buying flu drugs online.

Many of the web sites that sell drugs on the internet aren’t properly licensed to dispense pharmaceutical drugs. Consequently, they’re prone to distribute medications that aren’t appropriate for the patient to take. Such medications may include counterfeit products or those that haven’t been approved by the FDA.

Moreover, online pharmacy sites may not be subject to HIPAA and other medical privacy laws. Consequently, they won’t protect the patient’s personal health information.

The FDA urges consumers to talk to their doctors before buying a new medication for the first time. In other words, don’t rely on the online pharmacist for diagnoses. And ensure that the web site is a state-licensed pharmacy located in the U.S. (or Canada if you’re Canadian).

The FDA has published a useful free pamphlet about online drug websites that you might want to hand out to your workers. See, http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/EmergencyPreparedness/BioterrorismandDrugPreparedness/UCM133237.pdf

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