Washington State Pharmacy Association

WSPA Position Statement on Patient Access to Care
The Washington State Pharmacy Association (WSPA) believes a pharmacist’s professional responsibility is to provide optimum patient care. The WSPA opposes any pharmacist obstructing a patient’s access to care. The WSPA supports patient access to timely care in the event a pharmacist is unable to dispense a lawful prescription.
WSPA Statement on Patient Access to Care WashingtonState Facts on Access to Care

MedWatch Alert:
Hydroxycut Products

Audience: Consumers, healthcare professionals
05/01/2009 FDA warned consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products by Iovate Health Sciences, Inc. Hydroxycut products are associated with a number of serious liver injuries. Hydroxycut products are dietary supplements that are marketed for weight-loss, as fat burners, as energy-enhancers, as low carb diet aids, and for water loss under the Iovate and MuscleTech brand names.

FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver failure has been reported to FDA. Other health problems reported include seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure.

The agency has not yet determined which ingredients, dosages, or other health-related factors may be associated with risks related to these Hydroxycut products. The FDA continues to investigate the potential relationship between Hydroxycut dietary supplements and liver injury or other potentially serious side effects.

Read the complete MedWatch Safety summary including links to the FDA news release, Q&A's and a listing of all products included in this alert, at:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rob McKenna
ATTORNEY GENERAL OF WASHINGTON
1125 Washington Street SE . PO Box 40100 . Olympia WA 98504-0100

October 25, 2006 SEATTLE - Attorney General Rob McKenna today warned Washington residents to be aware of a new identity theft scam in which a caller claims to be your pharmacist and asks for a list of your medications and a credit card number.

He also cautioned consumers about a recent proliferation of foreign lottery and counterfeit check scams.

Seniors in Wenatchee, as well as Southern California and Chicago, have recently reported receiving cold calls along these lines. In the Wenatchee cases, the caller(s) had a foreign accent and the recipients were unable to trace the calls by dialing *69.

McKenna said. "Cons want details about your finances so that they can steal from your account or cause other harm. Legitimate companies that you do business with already have your information and will not call to ask for it.

If you questions about whether a call is legitimate, hang up and contact your pharmacist or doctor directly."

McKenna said the Attorney General's Office continues to receive an increasing number of calls from consumers inquiring about foreign lotteries.

"The Attorney General's Office has received numerous calls from consumers who have received notices in the mail indicating they are the big winner of a foreign lottery," McKenna said. "A check is included, which the recipients are instructed to cash to help cover so-called processing fees. Consumers are then asked to wire money in order to receive the rest of their winnings.

"The checks are an attractive lure, but worthless," McKenna added. "If you cash one, it will eventually bounce and your bank will withdraw the money from your account. These pitches are always scams."

To win a legitimate lottery, you must purchase a ticket. It's also important to know that can't legally play a foreign lottery in the United States.

The Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigate international lottery scams. You can report fraud to the FTC by filing a complaint online at