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Purchasing prescription drugs


Giuliano

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  • 1 month later...

The rules concerning what legally requires a prescription, and what type of prescription (regular or barcoded) come from statutory law and also regulation.

 

The Secretaria de Salud administers the laws passed by Congress, here the Ley General de Salud. Article 226 classifies medications into six fractional divisions: I through VI, each with its own legal requirements. http://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf_mov/Ley_General_de_Salud.pdf

 

Metformina is fraccion IV, and glancing at the list, I would only trust Dabex or Janumet brand.

 

Fraccion I drugs you simply are not going to get at a pharmacy, no matter how much money you have. Fraccion II drugs are very unlikely to be sold without the corresponding bar coded prescription that can be recorded in the control books, which must be available at all times for the Cofepris enforcers to inspect. Fraccion III drugs are also highly controlled (ritalin for example) and require a control book entry, but depending on the pharmacy, cash will get you these without a prescription. Fraction IV require a normal written prescription but there are reasons we dont care and won't ask for these. Not interesting enough to explain, just know you can buy these no problem. And Fraccion V and VI medications of course are OTC.

 

As in the United States, the law spells out some but not all details required to support  a full regulatory scheme, so regulators exist and they fill in the gaps. Here, that regulator is Cofepris. The Secretaria de Salud retains authority to determine which items are Fraccion I and which are estupefacientes, but Cofepris generally classifies most of the remainder like Fraccion V and Fraccion IV medications. They publish a list that includes a classification of all drugs, and it's a great reference: https://www.gob.mx/cofepris/documentos/listado-actualizado-de-medicamentos-de-referencia-2017-10

 

I hope these materials will be helpful to other members. 

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41 minutes ago, AlanMexicali said:

Not true.

Okay then. Where's the link that states otherwise? Granted some things are just not available in Mexico but my statement has been my experience. The heavy duty narcotics are supposed to be prescribed in triplicate with bar codes by specialized pain Doctors who are usually Anesthesiologists.

You also used to be able to get antibiotics over the counter as well. There is still a way around that by using an "in house" Doctor affiliated with the Pharmacy... which is still bad and ends up with wide spectrum drugs being prescribed. Kinda like using a gatling gun when you really need a sniper.

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