# Omeprazole from abroad?



## shywhitebadger (4 March 2011)

As above really........... 
Have you ever ordered Omeprazole from abroad?
If so, please recommend me some safe sites?

Thank you.


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## Tr0uble (4 March 2011)

As far as I'm aware it is not legal to buy it abroad and have it delivered to the UK....so be careful!


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## kit279 (4 March 2011)

Yes, I've bought it from these guys - http://equine.omeprazoledirect.com/.

No problems importing and has worked brilliantly - much easier than syringing the stuff!


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## cptrayes (4 March 2011)

Careful with what you are posting guys, it is illegal to import this drug. You might not want to advertise the fact that you are breaking the law.


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## shywhitebadger (4 March 2011)

K,
Thank you.
You may want to amend your post to 'no' 
xxx


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## star (4 March 2011)

it is strictly illegal to import drugs into the UK and if found out it carries fines up to 5k or a 2yr prison sentence!  Be warned!


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## Madam_max (4 March 2011)

So who is responsible the purchaser or seller?


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## star (4 March 2011)

Madam_max said:



			So who is responsible the purchaser or seller?  

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the purchaser is responsible as the offence is to import the drugs into the UK or to be in possession of illegally imported drugs.  Given the seller is normally abroad they cant be prosecuted by our authorities although the VMD is doing their best to stamp them out.


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## fruity (5 March 2011)

echo Star,it isn't worth it believe me,we have very sick animals come in that have been 'vacinated' with 'dodgy' foreign stuff and have been v ill. I wouldn't risk it plus the fact it is v much against the law!


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## popsdosh (5 March 2011)

kit279 said:



			Yes, I've bought it from these guys - http://equine.omeprazoledirect.com/.

No problems importing and has worked brilliantly - much easier than syringing the stuff!
		
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To be quite honest I am surprised that you did not know the regs regarding importing these products !!!!!!
We have enough problems with pharmaceutical resistance already in this country without irresponsible import of other products as there is usually a reason that drugs are not licensed.
Reading up on it the product looks like it only masks the symptoms without offering any medicinal remedy and can become addictive.Indeed because it masks the Symptoms the underlying condition can get worse without being noticed.


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## kit279 (5 March 2011)

Actually I had no idea - you can buy generic omeprazole over the counter in Tesco without a prescription in the UK so I assumed it wouldn't be a problem, no more than buying bulk ibuprofen.  I stand corrected in that case.  It's not an antibiotic so resistance isn't the issue and I did actually buy it on the advice of my vet, so you're not correct about masking symptoms.


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## glenruby (5 March 2011)

Omeprazole is the best TREATMENT for gastric ulcers. However, there are so many things about that website that signal warning bells to be - the "unmarked envelope", terms of sale/returns etc. My fear would be that there is very little omeprazole in those tablets - plus their reasoning behind tablets over pastes and benefits of the enteric coating are not quite correct.

Importing illegal drugs IS indeed a serious offence. The issue is that generics are not yet allowed for the equine omeprazole - though there cant be long left. This means that Merial have the market to themselves and hence treatement (legally) is very expensive.


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## kit279 (5 March 2011)

I don't think that's correct - Merial's patent expired last year, if I'm not mistaken.


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## glenruby (5 March 2011)

Maybe - but whether it did or not its the only equine omeprazole product  licenced for use in the UK - so vets cannot prescribe(and owners cannot legally use) any other. Actually, I think Merals patent in he US expired but not the UK - though i stand to be corrected on that.


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## popsdosh (5 March 2011)

kit279 said:



			.  It's not an antibiotic so resistance isn't the issue and I did actually buy it on the advice of my vet, so you're not correct about masking symptoms.
		
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Resistance is very much an issue in that the product is from a group of mobendizoles that are used in the treatment of worms in farm stock and equines for that matter and resistance is manifesting itself and no alternatives are available particularly for tapeworm and liver fluke.


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## SpottedCat (5 March 2011)

Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor used to stop gastric acid secretion. In what way is it used to treat parasites? Genuine question - I've never heard of it being used against helminths before, only as a treatment for gastric ulcers in horses and humans (and presumably other species too!).


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## ttt (5 March 2011)

Popsdosh, is what you are talking about the same as Omeprazole?


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## Daytona (5 March 2011)

Omeprazole is the only drug proven to work for Ulcers, it is avalible over the counter for humans to use, its also the same drug prescriped to humans for gastric reflux.  It is also a VERY cheap drug to make but due to one company putting the research into using it on horses they own the paten for 10 years (i think) and yes it is due to expire very soon and as soon as it does other compaines will start selling it and the price will plumit right down, to a realistic price unlike present. 

 It is availble in the UK in paste but in the USA where there has been a lot of research into it use in horses its precriped in both powder and tablet, though they do say the tables are not quite as effective. 

 It just the UK company choices to make it in paste but dont think that it the only way it can be used.  Powder is just as effective.


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## Dizzle (5 March 2011)

popsdosh said:



			.
Reading up on it the product looks like it only masks the symptoms without offering any medicinal remedy and can become addictive.Indeed because it masks the Symptoms the underlying condition can get worse without being noticed.
		
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Can you point me to where you read that please? My understand of Omeprazole is that it is a proton pump inhibitor and thus stops the secretion of excess stomach acid in the gut, it is given in a 30 day course as this should be long enough for the ulcers to heal/start to heal as the conditions within the gut are more conducive to healing. This along with correct management should deal with the majority of cases.

Omeprazole is licensed to be used with horses, it's called GastroGuard and costs in the region of £1000 per month, plus fees for scoping etc, thus meaning a MASSIVE profit margin for the vets and drug company, not to mention they don't have to pay hundreds of thousands to have the product licensed for use over the counter...


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## Madam_max (5 March 2011)

SpottedCat said:



			Omeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor used to stop gastric acid secretion. In what way is it used to treat parasites? Genuine question - I've never heard of it being used against helminths before, only as a treatment for gastric ulcers in horses and humans (and presumably other species too!).
		
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I'm glad you said that I thought I was being stupid


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## Sneedy (5 March 2011)

You're not being stupid! I know a wee bit about farm animal products and it's news to me re omeprazole being used with wormers!! Omeprazole is purely a PPI.....
Had a bit of a google and looks like it may be used concurrently with wormers for humans (yuk!), which could make sense?!
Re drug companies making loads of money.........you should see how much it costs to bring these drugs to market, and 10yrs is not very long to make that money back, and the money that is made gets pumped back into R&D so that more innovative products can be developed!!!!!
I'll go back into my box now


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## Dizzle (5 March 2011)

Sneedy said:



			Re drug companies making loads of money.........you should see how much it costs to bring these drugs to market, and 10yrs is not very long to make that money back, and the money that is made gets pumped back into R&D so that more innovative products can be developed!!!!!
I'll go back into my box now

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Which is why pharmaceuticals are the biggest industry in the world, they knock spots off the profit margins of oil companies!


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## shywhitebadger (5 March 2011)

Dizzle said:



			Which is why pharmaceuticals are the biggest industry in the world, they knock spots off the profit margins of oil companies!
		
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Which is one of the reasons I want to buy my Gastroguard abroad


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## star (5 March 2011)

shywhitebadger said:



			Which is one of the reasons I want to buy my Gastroguard abroad 

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so you can fund foreign pharmaceutical companies instead???  i dont get that logic.  you want to buy them abroad because it saves you money.  well just be warned - 5k fine or a 2yr prison sentence wont really make it worth it will it.  the VMD is on a serious mission and is closing down websites regularly.  i have no idea why anyone would want to put drugs into their horse illegally imported and with no real idea if they are what they say they are.  risk your horse for saving a bit of money?  no thanks.


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## racingdemon (5 March 2011)

profits from illegal drug sales can be far higher than legitimate pharma companies, companies operating illegally (in any industry) may make more money because they don't have the costs involved with R&D, legislation & compliance, not to mention actually making sure the drugs contain the right amount of the right drug..... i've read some nasty things!


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## Madam_max (6 March 2011)

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=293029


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## popsdosh (6 March 2011)

Perhaps I should clarify what I said and it was not that omeprazole was a wormer but that it comes from the same group of products as agricultural anthelmintics. All products from that group have some degree of effect on worms.Just to help clarify what I am saying 

'You should not take this medication if you are allergic to omeprazole or to any other benzimidazole medication such as albendazole (Albenza), or mebendazole (Vermox).'

This is an exract from a data sheet for omeprazole.

The following is an extract from the Merck veterinary manual explaining the product group

'The benzimidazoles are a large chemical family used to treat nematode and trematode infections in domestic animals. However, with the widespread development of resistance and the availability of more efficient and easier to administer compounds, their use is rapidly decreasing. They are characterized by a broad spectrum of activity against roundworms (nematodes), an ovicidal effect, and a wide safety margin.'

It is amazing how the original use for some medicines can be forgotten when a new use is found and sometimes totally by accident. Quite a few of us from a cattle background know that products such as febendazole(Panacur) have helped relieve acidosis in cattle for many years although only ever licensed as a wormer.


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## shywhitebadger (6 March 2011)

popsdosh said:



			To be quite honest I am surprised that you did not know the regs regarding importing these products !!!!!!
We have enough problems with pharmaceutical resistance already in this country without irresponsible import of other products as there is usually a reason that drugs are not licensed.
Reading up on it the product looks like it only masks the symptoms without offering any medicinal remedy and can become addictive.Indeed because it masks the Symptoms the underlying condition can get worse without being noticed.
		
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So you are saying that vets should not prescribe Gastrogard?


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## popsdosh (6 March 2011)

Not at all but that is why it should be used under veterinary supervision .You only have to look at the way it can interact with other medicines in man to realise the consequences.At the end of the day a human can speak up for themselves,but your horse cannot tell you if something isnt quite right.
I must admit my original point in the thread was aimed more to show that treating the symptoms is no good if you are not going to deal with the underlying cause!!! 
I am afraid that because equine gastric ulcers are the latest in thing ,people will probably just start feeding this product without taking veterinary advice and having the problem diagnosed properly.


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## ArcticFox (6 March 2011)

I would just like to say that I agree, it costs £millions to produce and research drugs before they come to the market, and the drugs that are legally allowed to be used in this country are ones that are licensed in the UK or brought in with a Special Import License - and you wouldn't get one of those for a drug that is already available.  

If you gave your horse an illegally imported drug and they suffered from colic, or some horrid side effect you have nothing to support you.  If this happens to a product used in the UK the drug companies will provide support by paying for lab fees, treatement etc.  

I don't think you can get resistance to omeprazole, it is the first I have heard.  but I do know in humans that sometimes when you stop taking it, you get a higher production of acid for a short time, so giving it to your horse without veterinary advice is not a good thing - and you might just be buying something for the hell of it. 

Personally my horse is insured so that I will never need to import drugs if they are diagnosed with ulcers. 

And I can back up that the VMD is targeting illegal importing of drugs too.


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## HammieHamlet (6 March 2011)

ArcticFox said:



			I would just like to say that I agree, it costs £millions to produce and research drugs before they come to the market, and the drugs that are legally allowed to be used in this country are ones that are licensed in the UK or brought in with a Special Import License - and you wouldn't get one of those for a drug that is already available.
		
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that's strictly not true - many pharmacists 'parallel import' drugs in to the UK that are already available... trust me, it used to kill my sales figures when I worked in pharma, and it happens a hell of a lot!


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## popsdosh (6 March 2011)

ArcticFox said:



			I

I don't think you can get resistance to omeprazole, it is the first I have heard.  but I do know in humans that sometimes when you stop taking it, you get a higher production of acid for a short time, so giving it to your horse without veterinary advice is not a good thing - and you might just be buying something for the hell of it.
		
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I did not suggest that you could for the use we are talking about.However it is general resistance to that group of products in their use as anthelmintics.


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## SpottedCat (6 March 2011)

Well it is widely used without direct veterinary supervision - team GB eventers have a supply which is allocated to squad members to use as they see fit in the run up to 3days and championship events.


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## shywhitebadger (6 March 2011)

popsdosh said:



			Not at all but that is why it should be used under veterinary supervision .You only have to look at the way it can interact with other medicines in man to realise the consequences.At the end of the day a human can speak up for themselves,but your horse cannot tell you if something isnt quite right.
I must admit my original point in the thread was aimed more to show that treating the symptoms is no good if you are not going to deal with the underlying cause!!! 
I am afraid that because equine gastric ulcers are the latest in thing ,people will probably just start feeding this product without taking veterinary advice and having the problem diagnosed properly.
		
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I couldn't understand your point earlier but I do now, thank you for clarifying.
However, and I am ready to be corrected, you can buy Ulcergard without prescription? This is Omeprazole but just 25% of the treatment dosage rate???
How many people are buying Ulcergard over the counter which effectively is Gastrogard (Omeprazole)?
It is even sold on Amazon.
You can buy wormers from your vet but it doesn't stop many people buying them on-line because they are cheaper and it is the exact same product. Gastrogard (Omeprazole) have the license for the delivery mechanism of this drug (eg in a paste solution as opposed to a tablet or granule) not the drug itself which is freely sold as Omeprazole to humans and horses all over the world. I can buy Omeprazole over the counter for myself? Why shouldn't I be able to do this for my horse when I know it is safe to use as vets are already prescribing it?


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## SpottedCat (6 March 2011)

You can only buy ulcergard in the USA as far as I am aware - it doesn't exist in the uk. It's merial's response to the fact that vets will routinely prescribe a quarter dose of gastrogard as a preventative measure. Merial got the lower dose version licenced in the USA as an over the counter drug rather than a POM. There's no equivalent over the counter version here. However if your horse has been treated for ulcers vets are generally happy to sell you GG to give at a quarter dose as a preventative. I cannot wait for it to be out of patent so we can start buying generic omaprazole in the uk at a fraction of the current costs, but until that happens, the only legal way to dose your horse is to cough up for GG.


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