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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Over-the-counter drug</span> Medication available without a prescription

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid prescription. In many countries, OTC drugs are selected by a regulatory agency to ensure that they contain ingredients that are safe and effective when used without a physician's care. OTC drugs are usually regulated according to their active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) rather than final products. By regulating APIs instead of specific drug formulations, governments allow manufacturers the freedom to formulate ingredients, or combinations of ingredients, into proprietary mixtures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacist</span> Healthcare professional

Pharmacists, also known as chemists or druggists, are health professionals who control, formulate, preserve and dispense medications and provide advice and counselling on how medicines should be used to achieve maximum benefit, minimal side effects and to avoid drug interactions. They also serve as primary care providers in the community. Pharmacists undergo university or graduate-level education to understand the biochemical mechanisms and actions of drugs, drug uses, therapeutic roles, side effects, potential drug interactions, and monitoring parameters. This is mated to anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. Pharmacists interpret and communicate this specialized knowledge to patients, physicians, and other health care providers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacy</span> Clinical health science

Pharmacy is the clinical health science that links medical science with chemistry and it is charged with the discovery, production, disposal, safe and effective use, and control of medications and drugs. The practice of pharmacy requires excellent knowledge of drugs, their mechanism of action, side effects, interactions, mobility and toxicity. At the same time, it requires knowledge of treatment and understanding of the pathological process. Some specialties of pharmacists, such as that of clinical pharmacists, require other skills, e.g. knowledge about the acquisition and evaluation of physical and laboratory data.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical prescription</span> Health-care communication from a physician to a pharmacist

A prescription, often abbreviated ℞ or Rx, is a formal communication from a physician or other registered health-care professional to a pharmacist, authorizing them to dispense a specific prescription drug for a specific patient. Historically, it was a physician's instruction to an apothecary listing the materials to be compounded into a treatment—the symbol ℞ comes from the first word of a medieval prescription, Latin: Recipere, that gave the list of the materials to be compounded.

Prescription drug list prices in the United States continually rank among the highest in the world. The high cost of prescription drugs became a major topic of discussion in the 21st century, leading up to the U.S. health care reform debate of 2009, and received renewed attention in 2015. One major reason for high prescription drug prices in the United States relative to other countries is the inability of government-granted monopolies in the U.S. health care sector to use their bargaining power to negotiate lower prices and that the US payer ends up subsidizing the world's R&D spending on drugs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prescription drug</span> Medication legally requiring a medical prescription before it can be dispensed

A prescription drug is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The reason for this difference in substance control is the potential scope of misuse, from drug abuse to practicing medicine without a license and without sufficient education. Different jurisdictions have different definitions of what constitutes a prescription drug.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacy technician</span> Licensed health care provider well-versed in pharmacy

A pharmacy technician is a health care provider who performs pharmacy-related functions, working collaboratively with a licensed pharmacist. Training, certification, licensing, and actual practice of pharmacy technicians varies not only worldwide but in some countries regionally as well as by employer.

An online pharmacy, internet pharmacy, or mail-order pharmacy is a pharmacy that operates over the Internet and sends orders to customers through mail, shipping companies, or online pharmacy web portal.

A Patient Safety Organization (PSO) is a group, institution, or association that improves medical care by reducing medical errors. Common functions of patient safety organizations are data collection and analysis, reporting, education, funding, and advocacy. A PSO differs from a Federally designed Patient Safety Organization (PSO), which provides health care providers in the U.S. privilege and confidentiality protections for efforts to improve patient safety and the quality of patient care delivery

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compounding</span>

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A veterinary pharmacist is a specially trained pharmacist who dispenses veterinary drugs and supplies or products and advice to owners of companion animals and livestock. In addition, they advise the regulatory bodies and are involved in the formulation of veterinary drugs. Veterinary pharmacy is a field of pharmacy practice, in which veterinary pharmacists may compound medications, fill prescriptions, and manage drug therapies for animals. Veterinary pharmacists are licensed pharmacists who specialize in the distribution of medications for animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacy (shop)</span> Shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs

A pharmacy is a retail shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmacist oversees the fulfillment of medical prescriptions and is available to counsel patients about prescription and over-the-counter drugs or about healthcare and wellness issues. A typical pharmacy would be in the commercial area of a community. Mail-order dispensing is a recent development.

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Electronic prescription is the computer-based electronic generation, transmission, and filling of a medical prescription, taking the place of paper and faxed prescriptions. E-prescribing allows a physician, physician assistant, pharmacist, or nurse practitioner to use digital prescription software to electronically transmit a new prescription or renewal authorization to a community or mail-order pharmacy. It outlines the ability to send error-free, accurate, and understandable prescriptions electronically from the healthcare provider to the pharmacy. E-prescribing is meant to reduce the risks associated with traditional prescription script writing. It is also one of the major reasons for the push for electronic medical records. By sharing medical prescription information, e-prescribing seeks to connect the patient's team of healthcare providers to facilitate knowledgeable decision making.

KwikMed is an approved online pharmacy in the United States which has been granted regulatory approval to operate and sell medications online. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, KwikMed's parent company, Phoenix Capital Management, is located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Specifically, KwikMed has been granted regulatory approval to prescribe medications for erectile dysfunction, male pattern hair loss and smoking cessation provided specific operating procedures are followed.

The Journal of Global Drug Policy and Practice describes itself as an open access peer-reviewed public health journal. Critics say it is biased, not peer reviewed, and not a legitimate scientific journal. It is funded by the US Department of Justice.

Online doctor is a term that emerged during the 2000s, used by both the media and academics, to describe a generation of physicians and health practitioners who deliver healthcare, including drug prescription, over the internet.

Separation of prescribing and dispensing, also called dispensing separation, is a practice in medicine and pharmacy in which the physician who provides a medical prescription is independent from the pharmacist who provides the prescription drug.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drug disposal</span> Safe disposal of unused drugs

Drug disposal is the discarding of drugs. Individuals commonly dispose of unused drugs that remain after the end of medical treatment. Health care organizations dispose of drugs on a larger scale for a range of reasons, including having leftover drugs after treating patients and discarding of expired drugs. Failure to properly dispose of drugs creates opportunities for others to take them inappropriately. Inappropriate disposal of drugs can also cause drug pollution.

Drug recycling, also referred to as medication redispensing or medication re-use, is the idea that health care organizations or patients with unused drugs can transfer them in a safe and appropriate way to another patient in need. The purpose of such a program is reducing medication waste, thereby saving healthcare costs, enlarging medications’ availability and alleviating the environmental burden of medication.

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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