Mail-order pharmacy urges complaints to FTC

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-An Internet/mail-order pet pharmacy, oncedisciplined for violating pharmacy laws, asks that clients protest to theFederal Trade Commission (FTC) if they cannot obtain their pet's prescriptionfrom its veterinarian to purchase drugs online.

PetMed Express, Inc., chided by state officials in 1999 after a two-yearinvestigation into company practices, offers an online complaint form forclients whose veterinarians refuse to authorize prescriptions for "non-medicalreasons."

Veterinarians often are reluctant to write drug prescriptions that enableclients to buy medications from discount pharmaceutical companies insteadof from DVM offices-a practice that traditionally reaps profits.

According to the Web site, PetMed Express also e-mails customers' completedcomplaint forms to the federal Consumer Protection Agency, state veterinaryregulatory agencies and state consumer protection agencies.

Regarding FTC complaints, PetMed Express CEO Menderes Akdag says he justwants officials to take note of the company's ongoing problem of DVMs withholdingprescriptions from clients for non-medical reasons.

"We are not veterinarians, and we are certainly not illegally authorizingthe prescriptions" he says. "Whatever is prescribed by a veterinarianis all the customer can buy."

At presstime, the company has not been in contact with FTC officials.