Order a six-pack of Comfortis tablets from 1-800-PetMeds, and the pills come in an orange bottle with the name of the online drug store and “America’s Largest Pet Pharmacy” printed on the cap.
The box supplied by the manufacturer of the flea-killing drug for dogs and cats is not included.
The pills are repackaged for “branding” purposes, to place the pharmacy’s name on the product, according to Menderes “Mendo” Akdag, President and CEO of PetMed Express, owner of 1-800-PetMeds.
Repackaging is a common pharmacy practice also when dispensing drugs in doses fewer than provided by the manufacturer, Akdag added, but he acknowledged that the pharmacy may repackage drugs regardless of the number of doses ordered.
Elanco Animal Health, maker of Comfortis, believes there’s another reason PetMed Express is taking the tablets out of their original box: to elude tracking. Elanco deploys a “track and trace” system to monitor whether its products are carried by unauthorized dealers such as PetMed Express.
The box supplied by the manufacturer of the flea-killing drug for dogs and cats is not included.
The pills are repackaged for “branding” purposes, to place the pharmacy’s name on the product, according to Menderes “Mendo” Akdag, President and CEO of PetMed Express, owner of 1-800-PetMeds.
Repackaging is a common pharmacy practice also when dispensing drugs in doses fewer than provided by the manufacturer, Akdag added, but he acknowledged that the pharmacy may repackage drugs regardless of the number of doses ordered.
Elanco Animal Health, maker of Comfortis, believes there’s another reason PetMed Express is taking the tablets out of their original box: to elude tracking. Elanco deploys a “track and trace” system to monitor whether its products are carried by unauthorized dealers such as PetMed Express.