

First, Thank you for your support to change this life-threatening issue for my son and many other patients of medications being shipped without anything to protect them from heat or freezing which can cause them to lose potency. Last week, I stumbled across an article that was written 20 years ago when the United States Postal Service did a study that shows that temperature ranges were far exceeding the ranges that were proven safe by the prescription drug manufacturer.
When questioned about these temperatures, a CEO and mailorder pharmacy advocate stated that the medications didn't get any hotter than if they were sitting on the dashboard of a car as if that wasn't hot or couldn't damage medications. Apparently, he had no clue how hot the inside of an enclosed car can get on a hot summer day. You can actually look on YouTube for videos on how to cook cookies on your dashboard.
They also mentioned in the article the loose regulation of mail order pharmacy while playing down the crucial role of the face-to-face interaction with a pharmacist when someone has complex needs. Next, the mail order CEO or advocate brags about how quickly they can get medications out the door similar to a physician bragging about getting a patient in and out in a minute. I wish they would understand that for some, those pill bottles are people's lives and they deserve the proper handling and care.
Here is quoted text from the article "Last spring, the U.S. Postal Service determined that drugs in a mailbox can get as hot as pizza warming in an oven. The study showed that only 8.4 percent of the packages experienced temperature variations allowable under the Postal Service's definition of controlled room temperature. Sixty-five percent of the packages were exposed to temperatures between 84 and 104 degrees. About a quarter were exposed to "excessive heat"--above 104 degrees. In addition, calculations showed that almost a third of the packages were exposed to mean kinetic temperatures above 170 degrees."
Most medications that are getting shipped in only a plastic bag are medications that should be shipped at room temperature which is around 77 degrees or else it could lose potency. The highest temperature guideline that I've seen medication guidelines on an insert is 86 degrees. 170 degrees is over two times as high as the manufacturer's guidelines. This is unacceptable for all medications. Here's the link to the article as discussed above.
https://www.managedcaremag.com/archives/1998/6/does-mail-order-pharmacy-really-deliver-goods
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Thank you again for your support I hope that everyone has the best day possible!