A federal judge in Oklahoma on Thursday granted a federal request to shut down Tulsa-based Rx Depot, which helps Americans buy cheaper prescription drugs from Canada.
Acting on a complaint filed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 11, U.S. District Judge Claire Eagan for the Northern District of Oklahoma issued a preliminary injunction against the company and its 85 storefronts across the country.
The FDA contends that Rx Depot was breaking the law and putting the public at risk by importing drugs outside FDA scrutiny.
In a statement on its Web site, Rx Depot says it will appeal the decision, adding that the Canadian system of drug oversight is the "safest system in the world."
In its lawsuit against Rx Depot, the FDA says customers mail, fax or deliver their prescriptions to the company's nearest storefront franchise, a Canadian doctor rewrites the prescription, and a Canadian pharmacy fills the prescription and sends it to the customer.
Rx Depot receives a 10 percent to 12 percent commission on each order, the FDA adds.