The U.S. government has been cracking down on online pharmacies in an attempt to stop personal prescription medicines imports by Americans in dire need. Americans overburdened by unreasonably high prices of medicines have been flowing to online pharmacies in an attempt to receive cheaper much needed prescribed medications.

The gainers from the governments actions are of course the American medicine manufacturers, the medical insurance companies, which by the way pay much less for the drugs than the average uninsured do, and the regular street pharmacies.

The FDA just passed a law that forbids importation of pharmaceuticals by individuals from Canadian pharmacies, while the Canadian regulatory laws for pharmaceuticals are just as good as the U.Ss. The main difference or the only difference between these pharmaceuticals is the prices. In Canada the prices for exact same medications is a fraction of the price in the U.S, who is gaining from all of this? Ask your medical insurance companies, you local drug manufacturers, and your representatives in both houses.

The fact is the online pharmacy trade should be regulated, due to the danger in taking non prescribed drugs that could have dangerous side effects. But it should not be stopped. It is time for representatives in the congress and senate to stand up and decide what is more important, the money being funneled to them by the lobby groups that represent the money making agenda of stopping the online pharmacy trade, or the lives, security, and the ability to afford prescription drugs by Americans, especially the elderly and the low income classes that struggle as it is.

Online pharmacies have many advantages, some of which are lower priced medications, higher availability of medications to supply customers needs, a good example of that is the shortage of Tamiflu in many U.S. areas (Tamiflu is one of only two drugs that help fight the avian flu that is spreading around the world, in the U.S there are only 2.3 million doses available, 2 million more will come by the end of November, and there are 300 million people living here), that was filled by online pharmacies, The time saving factor for customers. And the privacy maintained in receiving what has been called embarrassment drugs such as viagra and sexually transmitted diseases related medications.

Instead of fighting the Online Pharmacy trade the U.S. government should ease up and place regulatory laws into place. Laws that enforce online pharmacies, even foreign ones, to register in the U.S in order to be able to ship their merchandise into the U.S and off course force them to adhere to the same regulations, as far as shipping and drug maintenance that are enforced on U.S based pharmacies and publish a list of these pharmacies. Also enforce FDA approval for every drug. Some countries even hold higher standards than the American FDA, such as the Indian equivalent.

Two online search engines that have taken steps toward better and/or safer business as far as this particular trade are Google and Yahoo, who now force online pharmacies and their affiliates sites to be registered and approved, and only deal with U.S and Canadian based pharmacies. They do still have some room to improve; a good suggestion would be to make available a list of these online pharmacies for the sake of making affiliates lives much easier.

In conclusion, instead of fighting and attempting to cease all foreign pharmacy trade into the U.S, the federal government should make Americans lives easier, cheaper and safer by regulating it, not stopping it.