British pharmacy to help fill prescriptions

Medications on back order from Canada will be filled by the London company.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- A company that helps Americans order medication from Canada is teaming up with a British pharmacy to fill prescriptions on back order -- prompting criticism from U.S. drug safety officials.
American Drug Club, which has franchises in New Hampshire and 11 other states, including Ohio, provides price information to customers and helps them order drugs from Canadian pharmacies.
It will start a new system today to allow an undisclosed pharmacy in London to fill prescriptions if a medication isn't immediately available in Canada.
Though illegal, buying drugs from the country with government price controls has gained popularity as cities and states look to save money. The company has sites in 10 Ohio cities.
Chris Prior, who runs the branch in Portsmouth, N.H., said the arrangement will help customers get affordable medication faster.
"When people order medication, they're not taking it out of pleasure, they're taking it out of necessity," he said. "If you've been relying on going to Canada to get your medication and all of sudden it becomes back ordered, your choice becomes going back to paying the high prices at U.S. pharmacies or looking to alternative means."
U.S. companies' actions
Prior said American Drug Club, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is trying to stay a step ahead of pharmaceutical companies that have fought back by restricting shipments to its Canadian pharmacy.
That's why the company didn't release the name of the London pharmacy. But customers will know the name once the system starts, Prior said, so it won't be hard for drug manufacturers to figure it out.
New Hampshire Gov. Craig Benson has been trying to get a waiver from the federal government to allow the state to buy cheaper drugs from Canada. He recently ordered several prescriptions through a Canadian Web site and has posted a link on the official state Web site to a Canadian pharmacy that exports drugs, actions that drew criticism from the Food and Drug Administration.
The federal agency also condemned American Drug Club's agreement with the British pharmacy, despite the company's claim that the pharmacy is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and adheres to strict quality policies.