How to sell prescription drugs legally
RX drugs without a prescription
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the rising cost of prescription drugs is
forcing many families to find the
medications they need without a
prescription in foreign countries even a
places like local flea markets but those
alternatives raise legal and of course
safety questions
so tonight Channel two goes undercover
revealing where these drugs are being
sold and we're testing them to find out
what's in them here's investigator Amy
Davis with the consumer alert it was a
tip call that led channel 2 investigates
here roaming the maze of merchants
selling saints and sports jerseys the
white elephant flea market in Channel
View has a little of everything
sandwiched between the jewelry and Jesus
we found what we were looking for this
is for the skin you're gonna have to
continually buy these pills in a matter
of minutes and for 50 bucks we purchased
three types of prescription antibiotics
tetracycline for acne ampicillin for an
ear infection amoxicillin for a sore
throat viagra for good measure very
strong if you don't need them take cash
we paid 10 bucks for 20 tetracycline
tablets or $0.50 each in comparison we
could get them at Walmart for two
dollars fifty cents each the real
problem is you have no idea what's in
these medicines Associates Special Agent
in Charge Jeffrey Scott with the Houston
division of the Drug Enforcement Agency
says his office doesn't regulate these
antibiotics because they're not
considered at narcotics that doesn't
mean they're safe you're basically
taking a medicine that's not prescribed
for you and it's being given to you by
someone who's not legally authorized to
prescribe it and to me that's a recipe
for disaster
anywhere state law makes it illegal for
anyone other than doctors or pharmacists
to sell prescription drugs and even for
individuals to possess them without a
prescription
but dr. Barbara trout nurse says
patients should be educated not punished
they're turning to unregulated sources
the Internet
buying it in a flea market buying a
veterinary antibiotics from the pet
store not because they're trying to do
wrong because they're trying to take the
best care they can of themselves are
other people these drugs were made in El
Salvador not subject to the same safety
standards as American medicines we just
don't know how safe it is we don't know
what's in that to find out we took the
drugs to expert ox lab in Deer Park they
are very important owner dr. Ehrlich
issah confirmed these drugs are what the
vendors told us they are and the correct
strengths but there are other concerns
he said test results show elevated
levels of metals like magnesium in the
tetracycline and ampicillin and
magnesium and aluminum in the viagra
that he said would cause joint pain
we're protected by the FDA I mean I
don't know who was inspecting these
medications back at the flea market this
woman was full of advice for taking the
amoxicillin for ear pain her first two
days it's every six hours and then when
the pain goes away it's every eight
hours for another two or three days
tetracycline can cause kidney damage if
the drug is exposed to the heat or if it
breaks down after it expires if someone
on blood pressure medication takes
Viagra they could have a heart attack
but our photographer wearing a hidden
camera didn't get any of those warnings
hello and when we tried to ask the
people selling the prescription drugs
about these issues we purchased for
different kinds of prescription drugs
from you on camera they refused to
answer our questions
the State Board of Pharmacy says it has
no authority over the sellers because
they're not licensed pharmacists local
and federal law enforcement are focusing
their efforts on opioids and other
dangerous narcotics doctors say they
think the best way to solve this problem
is by educating the public of the
dangers of taking prescription medicine
without a doctor's supervision I'm
consumer expert Amy Davis KPRC channel 2
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