US pharmacists "unaware" they dispense illegal drugs

Medical Marketing Research, a North Carolina, USA-based market research consultancy specializing in health care research, has published survey results that indicate that as many as 91% of US pharmacists are unaware they dispense drugs that have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The agency itself estimates that several thousand drugs are marketed illegally, without required FDA approval. The survey consisted of a nationwide, random sample of 500 US retail pharmacists who were questioned about their dispensing habits for pharmaceutical products. More information on unlicensed drugs can be obtained via the Internet from the FDA at www.fda.gov/cder/guidance/6911fnl.pdf. Survey information can be found on the Medical Marketing Research web site: www.mmrx.com.