Are "Canadian" generic drugs safe?

[Boojatta]

If the label on the package says that the manufacturer's corporate headquarters are in Canada, then what do you know about where the product was actually produced?

[HeresyLives]

1. Well, we're all still alive.

[1]

2. it doesn't... it depends on the "canadian" source...

legit drugs are legit drugs, but there is a huge business in china (and other places) producing perfect fake copies of the packaging and appearance of prescription drugs for sale over the internet.

those are worthless and dangerous. its a crap shoot.

i'll look for some links about the stories i have seen on "investigative" tv shows, and post them if i can find them.

good luck...




edit: wow. just google "fake prescription drugs" and you will see the problem you face.

[notadmblnd]

3. I would think that they are just as safe as ours or better

Hopefully the Canadian version of the FDA hasn't deteriorated to the level our government agency has.

[Duke Newcombe]

4. Most of the "Canadian" meds are made in the same place the "American" meds were...n/t

[MADem]

9. That would be Puerto Rico, in many instances....

They get a tax break for locating themselves there.

[Duke Newcombe]

10. Exactly...hence, the "confused dog look"...

I give when the hysteria about these "dangerous Canadian drugs" gets whipped up by people who are not fully informed about where they come from.

[MrPerson]

5. Molson is OK

[FarCenter]

6. The active ingredients for most US drugs come from China or India

They are then packaged into pills somewhere like Puerto Rico, so that they can be labeled "Made in USA".

[1]

7. i found the show, but i cannot find a complete video source...

the show was on "dateline nbc" in an episode titled "bitter pills" back in 2007. that ep won an emmy for investigative reporting.

it was all about how this chinese source could produce exact packaging and pills to duplicate legitimate drugs. the ingredients of the pills were like asphalt and other garbage to fake the color and texture. the packaging was immaculate and a perfect copy.

i found one small two minute clip. if you dig a bit you might find more...

http://video.aol.ca/video-detail/bitter-pills/288230384421823120

[4 t 4]

8. If you know for sure they come

from Canada they are perfectly safe. Same drug Company's as the US. The US gets many of our drugs from Canada but they will never tell you that. That is one of the problems Illinois Governor faced he went around those in power and bought Flu Vaccine for kids and the elderly from Canada for a much lower price and the states got furious. Canadian drugs are made by the same drug companies as the US. If you know they are 100% Canadian they are fine!

[demokatgurrl]

11. I find it very interesting that the same industry

that farms out pharmaceutical manufacturing to India, warns us against buying drugs from Canada, and even India, because they "may not be safe". How dishonest. The US pharma companies pay a fraction of what they would pay if the drugs were being made here, to have them made in countries that pay a pittance, and then jack up the price so they make huge profits, and then "warn" us not to buy drugs made in the SAME FACTORIES.

My answer would be, as safe as any other generic drugs you can buy, including those few that may be made here (if in fact we DO make any here any more).

edit for spelling

[Boojatta]

12. That's a good point.

I wonder how companies that sell expensive brand name drugs would react to television advertising stating that their brand name products are unsafe. You just explained that those companies have themselves provided justification for the claim. They claim that generic drugs are unsafe, and it's possible to conclude that brand name products are also unsafe.

When a product made overseas is proven to be hazardous even though it is made by a company that has its headquarters here or in Canada, isn't it likely that the company is going to explain that it's difficult to maintain careful control over production facilities that are located overseas? However, the product label doesn't say "we are unable to guarantee the safety of this product because of the location of the production facilities." On the contrary, there's an effort to mislead consumers about where the product was made.