Canadian International Pharmacy Association

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Established in 2002, the Canadian International Pharmacy Association ("CIPA") is a Canadian association of licensed pharmacy businesses offering mail order pharmacy services to Canadian and international patients. CIPA members sell pharmaceuticals and maintenance medications to individuals upon receipt of a valid prescription. In addition to selling Health Canada approved medications from their licensed Canadian pharmacies, CIPA members also have relationships with regulated international pharmacies and inspected fulfillment centres that directly deliver medications to patients. Patients make the choice from where their medications will be delivered, and this is confirmed with them at time of purchase.

In 2012, an international wholesale business owned by CanadaDrugs was involved in an incident in which some substandard drugs were inadvertently obtained in the United States. That same year, CanadaDrugs ceased the operation of its wholesale business, which was directed to healthcare clinics in the U.S. - not individuals. [1] The matter has since been closed. [2] The situation was unrelated to personal importation and therefore outside of CIPA’s purview of retail sales of daily maintenance medications directly to consumers. However, when CanadaDrugs completely stopped selling into the U.S., they no longer met CIPA’s membership criteria, and were therefore removed as a CIPA member. [3]

According to Managed Care, an industry magazine, about a million Americans a year get drugs from licensed Canadian pharmacies that are certified by CIPA. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), and five other sponsors have introduced legislation that would allow Americans with a U.S. prescription to order a 90-day supply of medicines from a licensed Canadian pharmacy. [4]

CIPA has appeared frequently in the news as an advocate for safe online pharmacy practices and the lower prices of drugs available outside of the United States, [5] [6] though not without significant controversy. [7] [8] CIPA standards and practices have been described as "likely becoming a major part of the health care system in the near future". [9] In 2009, CIPA was invited to present at the United Nations Internet Governance Forum on "Medicines on the Web - Risks and Benefits". [10] [11] Since 2017, CIPA has been an active collaborator with the University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy; [12] York University, Dahdaleh Institute of Global Health Research; [13] RightsCon (2017 [14] and 2018 [15] ) and the United Nations Internet Governance Forums (2019 [16] and 2020 [17] ) toward establishing international, multi-stakeholder developed Principles, Standards, and Norms for the sale of medicines over the Internet. In his paper Digital Governance of Public Health: Toward a Regulatory Framework for Internet Pharmacies, [18] Dr. Aria Ilyad Ahmad’s argues that “Voluntary self-regulation approaches also play an important role for mediating trust between consumers and Internet Pharmacies.

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References

  1. ↑ "Why did CanadaDrugs close? Are there safe online pharmacies Americans can order from?".
  2. ↑ "Canadian pharmacy fined $34 million for illegal imports". Associated Press . 10 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Safe Online Pharmacy Websites - Certified by CIPA, and licensed". www.cipa.com. Archived from the original on 2016-09-28.
  4. ↑ Legislation & Regulation: Campaign 2016. Drug Imports: The New Idea That’s Kind of Old Richard Mark Kirkner, MANAGED CARE, May 2016
  5. ↑ "Buying online drugs: Dos and Don'ts - CTV News". Ctv.ca. 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2011-05-25.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Some look north for affordable prescriptions". Post-gazette.com. 2010-05-23. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
  7. ↑ Korcok, M. (2004-03-16). "Internet pharmacy: the tug-of-war intensifies - Korcok 170 (6): 946 - Canadian Medical Association Journal". CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. 170 (6): 946–947. doi:10.1503/cmaj.1040099. PMC   359423 . PMID   15023916 . Retrieved 2011-05-25.
  8. ↑ Danylo Hawaleshka. "Federal Health Minister to Take on Internet Pharmacies - The Canadian Encyclopedia". Encyclopediecanadienne.ca. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
  9. ↑ Schafer, Arthur (2008). "Canadian Internet pharmacies: Some ethical and economic issues". Canadian Pharmacists Journal. 141 (3): 191–197. doi:10.3821/1913-701X(2008)141[191:CIPSEA]2.0.CO;2. ISSN   1913-701X.
  10. ↑ "Internet Governance Forum". Intgovforum.org. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
  11. ↑ Karen Marie Johnson Says (2010-05-15). "CIPA Safety Standards Resonate at United Nations Forum « Canadian International Pharmacy Association". Ciparx.ca. Archived from the original on 2010-08-14. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
  12. ↑ "Kohler, Jillian Clare".
  13. ↑ "Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research".
  14. ↑ "Home". brusselsprinciples.org.
  15. ↑ "RightsCon Toronto 2018: Making Safe Online Access to Affordable".
  16. ↑ "Dahdaleh Institute Hosts Panel at Internet Governance Forum | Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research".
  17. ↑ "IGF 2020 WS #116 Pandemics & Access to Medicines: A 2020 Assessment | Internet Governance Forum".
  18. ↑ "Dahdaleh Institute for Global Health Research".
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