Here are six points:
1. The stores claim the imported drugs can yield up to 70 percent savings for customers, as U.S. drug prices continue to escalate.
2. Despite the savings, federal officials say such practices are illegal and dangerous as the FDA has not reviewed the safety of drugs approved for sale in foreign countries. Officials also warn the drugs may be counterfeit.
3. Operators and researchers who follow the storefront businesses say government officials have never charged shops or their customers. Additionally, storefront owners claim they only use foreign pharmacies that government agencies or the nonprofit Canadian association have certified.
4. In 2002, the first storefront opened in Delray Beach, Fla. A prominent storefront player, Canadian MedStore opened its first location in 2003 and has since expanded to six locations throughout Florida. The storefront’s co-owner said each of Canadian MedStore’s locations serve several hundred customers annually. Of those customers, 80 percent are over 65.
5. The AARP found the average retail price for 397 widely used drugs increased 81 percent from 2006 through 2013, while inflation only increased 18 percent in that time frame.
6. A 2011 federal survey found 5 million Americans purchase drugs from foreign pharmacies.
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