Health Canada Warns Canadians about Buying Prescription Drugs Online from www.globalpharmacycanada.com

Information Update
2010-127
July 27, 2010
For immediate release

OTTAWA - Health Canada is informing Canadians about the potential dangers of buying prescription drugs online from www.globalpharmacycanada.com. The company responsible for the website recently removed Canadian access to it, but Canadians may have purchased from this website in the past.

Products sold at www.globalpharmacycanada.com have not been authorized for sale by Health Canada and Global Pharmacy Canada is not a licensed pharmacy in Canada. Canadians who have used any products purchased at www.globalpharmacycanada.com, or are concerned about their health, should consult with their healthcare practitioner.

Health Canada is working with the Canada Border Services Agency to stop the importation of any shipments of www.globalpharmacycanada.com products from entering Canada. Should this company continue to sell unauthorized health products that may pose a risk to Canadians, Health Canada will take appropriate action.

Patients taking prescription drugs without being examined and monitored by a health care practitioner may not receive the appropriate treatment to maintain and protect their health. They may also put themselves at risk for drug interactions or harmful side effects.

Health Canada reminds Canadians to read the labelling of the products they buy to verify that the products have been assessed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality. Health products that have been authorized for sale by Health Canada will have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label.

Consumers should also be aware that there is no assurance that all claims made on the internet that a particular site is Canadian and / or a pharmacy, are reliable. Some internet sites may falsely claim to be a Canadian pharmacy and dispense foreign drugs that are unauthorized for sale in Canada.

Canadians with questions or complaints about drugs purchased over the Internet can call Health Canada's toll-free line at 1-800-267-9675.

For more information about the risks of buying drugs online, please visit Health Canada’s website. You may also visit an It's Your Health article: Buying Drugs over the Internet.

To report suspected adverse reaction to these or other health products, please contact the Canada Vigilance Program of Health Canada toll-free at 1-866-234-2345, or complete a Canada Vigilance Reporting Form and send to us using one of these methods:

• Fax: 1-866-678-6789
• E-mail: CanadaVigilance@hc-sc.gc.ca
• Internet: www.healthcanada.gc.ca/medeffect

Mail:Canada Vigilance Program
Marketed Health Products Directorate
Ottawa, ON, Address Locator 0701C
K1A 0K9

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Media Inquiries:
Health Canada
(613) 957-2983

Public Inquiries:
(613) 957-2991
1-866 225-0709