CPPI Joins Calls for Ban of Online Opioid Sales

Today, the Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation, a U.S. non-profit patient advocacy organization representing over 100,000 Americans, joined the Canadian International Pharmacy Association in calling for a ban on the online marketing and sale of fentanyl and other opioids.

The Biden administration on Friday proposed tighter limits on the online prescription of some medications, including the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Adderall and highly addictive opioids such as oxycodone, a partial reversal of policy changes made during the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Times reported. CPPI is calling for the Administration and Congress to go further.

"CPPI applauds the Biden administration's efforts to curtail the opioid epidemic and joins the Canadian International Pharmacy Association in calling for further action - a ban on the online marketing and sale of fentanyl and other opioids. Americans need access to safe and affordable medications, they don’t need dangerous opioids or controlled substances being pushed on them,” says Jack Pfeiffer, Executive Director of CPPI.

“For too long the greed of big pharmaceutical companies and big box pharmacies clawed record profits from the sale of opioids, leading to America’s opioid epidemic. Rogue websites pretending to be pharmacies take advantage of Big Pharma’s folly and further place American patients in jeopardy by selling opioids and controlled substances online, often without a doctor’s prescription. It’s time to put an end to that.”

CPPI points to CIPA safety protocols as the benchmark for best practices in patient safety among international pharmacies. CIPA-certified pharmacies have been selling maintenance medications online for two decades with a 100% perfect safety record. CPPI warns Americans seeking lower prescription drug costs through personal importation to find pharmacies that follow these best practices:

Safe Online Pharmacy Best Practices:

1. Require a valid prescription before dispensing medications;

2. Do not sell controlled substances, narcotics, pseudoephedrine products, or highly temperature sensitive products;

3. Obtain demographic and medical information and maintain a health profile with medication history to avoid adverse drug interactions;

4. Have a licensed pharmacist on staff to supervise dispensing of medications and provide consultation;

5. Protect the privacy and confidentiality of personal records and contact information;

6. Ensure website security requirements;

7. ​Publish contact information for customer service;

8. Sell quantities of approximately 3-months’ supply at a time; and

9. Disclose dispensing location at time of purchase.