How do you know if your non-US pharmacy's abortion pills are safe?
February 7, 2023 10:02 PM Subscribe
Looking at the upcoming possibility that medication abortion will soon be unavailable in the US, and that my birth control might fail, I've ordered a prescription for Mifepristone + Misoprostol from a doctor in Europe that will ship to me from a pharmacy in India. What I want to know is how to determine if these are legitimate, correctly dosed, and not contaminated with other substances.
The site where I found them seems legitimate enough, and the price was around 100 USD (not suspiciously low or high?), but this is my first experience with an online/international pharmacy order and I'm seeking reassurance that this is alright. Or, if maybe not alright, what resources are available to figure that out.
The site where I found them seems legitimate enough, and the price was around 100 USD (not suspiciously low or high?), but this is my first experience with an online/international pharmacy order and I'm seeking reassurance that this is alright. Or, if maybe not alright, what resources are available to figure that out.
Anecdata: For years I've been ordering generic Latisse and the generic form of a topical cream (prescribed by my dermatologist) from All Day Chemist in India. The products have done what they're supposed to do and have caused no harm.
posted by Dolley at 5:09 AM on February 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Dolley at 5:09 AM on February 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
I recently suspected that the generic prescription drug I got from a US pharmacy was bogus. It didn't feel like it was working. I looked into whether there was any sort of testing service that could verify the quality and quantity of a tablet. I came up empty.
Have you looked into purchasing drugs in the US? I would think that there would be a friendly US-based doctor or organization that would be happy to write you a prescription to be filled by mail. There are all sorts of access activists out there. It's a real need in parts of the USA. Why wouldn't they send some to you?
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:09 AM on February 8, 2023
Have you looked into purchasing drugs in the US? I would think that there would be a friendly US-based doctor or organization that would be happy to write you a prescription to be filled by mail. There are all sorts of access activists out there. It's a real need in parts of the USA. Why wouldn't they send some to you?
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:09 AM on February 8, 2023
Forgive me if you're already aware of this, but in case you're not - India is the undisputed leader in the manufacture of high-quality generic drugs and, most likely, if you buy generic drugs in the US they're usually coming from India anyways. So, the fact that it's coming from India is not at all a red flag or something to be concerned about.
If you'd like to verify further: India requires that all pharmaceuticals manufactured for export* are labeled with a serial number and that serial number is registered in a database. That database should be accessible through IVEDA portal, although last I heard (which was admittedly a little while ago - I do some work adjacent to this stuff, but not directly with this system) the system was still having some growing pains getting up and running so I'm not entirely sure how well the user-facing end of it works and how far back the serial number data goes. The predecessor system, the DAVA portal, is also still accessible and the serial number may be loaded there instead if the medication was manufactured prior to its sunsetting. Because neither portal is especially user-friendly and because I've heard manufacturers have run into issues loading data in the past, I wouldn't worry if you aren't able to use the system(s) to validate that the serial number is valid, but if they do validate that the serial number is valid, that might provide additional peace of mind.
*I believe regulation is more lax for the domestic market but I'm less familiar with that part. If this is only labeled for domestic use, the above may not apply.
posted by mosst at 7:15 AM on February 8, 2023 [11 favorites]
If you'd like to verify further: India requires that all pharmaceuticals manufactured for export* are labeled with a serial number and that serial number is registered in a database. That database should be accessible through IVEDA portal, although last I heard (which was admittedly a little while ago - I do some work adjacent to this stuff, but not directly with this system) the system was still having some growing pains getting up and running so I'm not entirely sure how well the user-facing end of it works and how far back the serial number data goes. The predecessor system, the DAVA portal, is also still accessible and the serial number may be loaded there instead if the medication was manufactured prior to its sunsetting. Because neither portal is especially user-friendly and because I've heard manufacturers have run into issues loading data in the past, I wouldn't worry if you aren't able to use the system(s) to validate that the serial number is valid, but if they do validate that the serial number is valid, that might provide additional peace of mind.
*I believe regulation is more lax for the domestic market but I'm less familiar with that part. If this is only labeled for domestic use, the above may not apply.
posted by mosst at 7:15 AM on February 8, 2023 [11 favorites]
(as an addendum to my comment above - just because quality drugs come from India does not mean that I'm saying that all drugs in India are necessarily quality drugs. Only some manufacturers and facilities in India have the requisite certifications to export to stricter countries such as the US, though in large part that's just because those certifications are costly.)
posted by mosst at 7:30 AM on February 8, 2023
posted by mosst at 7:30 AM on February 8, 2023
Have you looked into purchasing drugs in the US? I would think that there would be a friendly US-based doctor or organization that would be happy to write you a prescription to be filled by mail. There are all sorts of access activists out there. It's a real need in parts of the USA. Why wouldn't they send some to you?
A number of US states have bans on mailing/receiving abortion meds, and it's as labyrinthine and illogical as all the rest of the laws around reproductive rights in the US. Agree that is is a very real need in parts of the USA! But I think you have to have a friend in one of the permitted states who could receive the meds on your behalf, then take the risk on your behalf to repackage them and/or meet up IRL to hand them off. Which is effectively prohibitive for many people.
posted by knotty knots at 10:55 AM on February 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
A number of US states have bans on mailing/receiving abortion meds, and it's as labyrinthine and illogical as all the rest of the laws around reproductive rights in the US. Agree that is is a very real need in parts of the USA! But I think you have to have a friend in one of the permitted states who could receive the meds on your behalf, then take the risk on your behalf to repackage them and/or meet up IRL to hand them off. Which is effectively prohibitive for many people.
posted by knotty knots at 10:55 AM on February 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
For those who don't know, this is also happening: Texas lawsuit that seeks to ban abortion drug nationwide sparks fear among advocates
posted by hydropsyche at 5:02 PM on February 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by hydropsyche at 5:02 PM on February 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
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