Online Pharmacy (药店): A Foreseeable Trend
Online pharmacies may replace corner drugstores in the future, which would be of benefit to all of us. Sadly, current Federal Drug Administration (FDA) restrictions prevent many Americans from gaining access to the medicines they require online. Fortunately, online pharmacies offer these drugs and provide patients with more treatment options at lower prices. Those calling for the restrictions are wrong. Online pharmacies are crucial to numerous people.
While some drugs sold online aren't FDA-approved, customers shouldn't be prevented from buying them. Many of the herbal remedy (草药) online pharmacies offer have been used for hundreds of years, especially in Asian countries, and they have strong safety records. Other medicines may come from foreign countries, but they aren't harming the people who use them in their own countries. Take depression pills as an example. It has been used safely for many years in France and other European countries, yet it's just now being tested in the U.S.
Nowadays, just getting in to see a doctor seems to take forever, not to mention the time and money to get tests done and await the results. Thanks to the Internet, customers now know more about available medicines than ever before and are therefore able to take them without having to consult a doctor. The Internet, after all, is filled with information about all kinds of drugs. Much of it has even been written by doctors and pharmaceutical companies themselves.
Another issue to consider is money. Health care costs in America are rising every year, and pharmaceutical companies are making billions. Online pharmacies typically sell their drugs at lower prices than hospital pharmacies and corner drugstores. Consumers shouldn't be blamed for seeking cheaper alternatives and refusing to line the pockets of already wealthy companies and stores.
