Viers sparks DHEC response on Mexican prescriptions
Following a story in the Herald about Mexican general stores selling prescription drugs over the counter, state Rep. Thad Viers contacted the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control concerning the problem.
The Mexican stores, or tiendas, routinely sell drugs that are normally sold only by doctor-issued prescriptions at regular pharmacies. Most of the drugs being sold, according to DHEC, are antibiotics or others that are not controlled substances.
The drugs are made by American manufacturers but are sold under Spanish names.
A DHEC spokesman told Viers that since the prescription drugs being sold are not controlled substances, there are no actual legal violations that can be enforced by DHEC or federal Drug Enforcement Agency investigators. Read more
