The Truth About ASOP Claims
A project known as the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP) was initiated to offer protection to American consumers against the risks associated with online drug purchasing. However, ASOP give Americans information that favors their funders all under the umbrella of protecting Americans.
The truth is that Big Pharma is the founder of ASOP. The fact that Big Pharma is among the most profitable organizations in the world mean they are willing to do everything in their power to maintain that position including using scare tactics.
It is true that some online pharmacies are rogue and getting rid of them requires collective efforts. However, ASOP gives the impression that any online pharmacy that is not owned by Americans is rogue and is out to harm Americans which is not the case. They employ distorted “statistical analysis” in scaring people from purchasing drugs from online pharmacies. Therefore, they make folks believe that the only way of buying safe medications is by choosing American online pharmacies.
There is evidence to prove otherwise and this is in form of many harmless and valid online pharmacies in Canada that have supplied Americans with safe medicine for years. We can attest to this fact because we know many patients who have relied on these pharmacies for their different ailments for years and have never experienced any harmful health effects.
FaegreBD which is a big lobbying firm in Washington DC is responsible for running ASOP. They have many clients both past and present and some of them include Baxter Healthcare, the Pharmaceutical Distribution Security Alliance (PDSA), Eli Lilly and Orexigen among others. These are “big clients” with a lot of influence capable of swaying decisions in their favor. For example, PSDA consists of over 25 stakeholders all found in the pharmaceutical distribution supply.
Big Pharma receives support from NABP, ASOP and so on and claim to care about the big number of people (100,000-700,000) who succumb to illness from counterfeit drugs purchased online yearly. ASOP adds that they are committed to protecting patients globally from the harmful effects of counterfeit drugs in order to provide patients with safe and approved medicine which they can access through the legitimate pharmacies. They go on to say this is their top priority.
Though this may seem fair, our concern is that, “Why don’t they apply the same rage when there are folks harmed by pharmacies approved by VIPPS? This mostly happens through dispensing errors committed and this end up harming American patients. They don’t seem to use the same cry for safety in these cases when those they claim to be their members approve and encourage the production and distribution of medications for unapproved purposes.
Safety of medications is an important issue and should resonate throughout the entire pharmaceutical supply chain. This priority should never be substituted for a greater “hunger” for more profits. We do not dispute the claims made by ASOP but they should be unwavering in their pursuit of ensuring the safety of American patients regardless of who is invlved.