One of the bigger issues in the discussion of the health care crisis in the U.S. is the high cost of prescription drugs and how consumers are going to pharmacies in Canada to get their drugs at a much lower cost. The FDA and various industry groups had claimed that this was a potential danger for many consumers, as there was no assurance that the drugs they were ordering were the same as the drugs available in the U.S.
The Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) has attempted to diffuse that argument by publishing its list of approved pharmacies. CIPA claims that each of these online pharmacies has been examined and is in compliance with all licensing requirements and that the drugs are not being imported from other countries (which may not have as strict oversight).
I'm waiting to see the responsive press releases from the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry. At first blush, CIPA's efforts are laudable in trying to find a way to assure people that the Zoloft they get online is the same Zoloft they'd get down the street. But I'm sure that somehow the methods of obtaining compliance will be attacked by companies in the U.S., and they'll try to emphasize that even if the online pharmacies obtain first approval, there is no guarantee of the continued and subsequent compliance with the CIPA requisites.