For the second time in recent months, congressional lawmakers are asking if the Food and Drug Administration reversed a policy that allows Americans to import medicines under select circumstances.
In a letter to the agency, the lawmakers referenced a series of raids last year in which FDA investigators visited Florida stores with search warrants to warn the owners that importing drugs from foreign countries is illegal. This was the same series of searches that prompted several senators last December to write the FDA about any changes in its policy toward importation.
The FDA agents visited storefronts that primarily serve seniors who prefer face-to-face assistance with filling prescriptions from Canada and other countries, rather than using an internet site. As noted previously, the agents reportedly warned the owners they could face fines or jail time for helping their customers to administer medicines.
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