A top pharmacist has called on Government to halt an order coming into effect today amid fears it could result in counterfeit or substandard prescription drugs entering the Island.Lynanne Bolton, Pharmacy Inspector and Consultant to the Bermuda Government, issued a statement yesterday saying she was not consulted over the order, which allows prescription drugs to be imported from Brazil, India and Israel for the first time.Health Minister Zane DeSilva tabled the Pharmacy and Poisons (Designation of Approved Countries) Order 2011 on June 17 in a bid to drive down healthcare costs.However, legislation to ensure the medicine meets international best practice manufacturing standards is unlikely to come into effect until the end of the year.When he tabled the order, the Minister told MPs that adding Brazil, India and Israel to the list of approved countries of origin for the importation of medicines would give Bermudians a wider choice of prescription drugs.He said the three countries were “leaders in the manufacturing of generic drugs” and that these were usually cheaper than brand-name drugs.However, Opposition Senator Kathy Michelmore raised concerns in the Upper Chamber on Wednesday, alleging: “Some of those countries don’t have appropriate controls to ensure that they are genuine drugs.”Stephanie Simons is president of Bermuda Pharmaceutical Association.She told The Royal Gazette on Wednesday: “There is such an increase in the instance of counterfeit drugs on the market now. There’s a strong feeling that we need to have some controls in place so that we don’t have these medications imported into the Island.Yesterday, Ms Bolton said: “As The Pharmacy Inspector and Consultant to the Government I can confirm that I was not consulted prior to the Minister of Health’s statement on June 17 that he had decided to add Brazil, India and Israel to the list of designated countries from which prescription drugs can be legally and freely imported into Bermuda.“He indicated at that time that the Pharmacy Act would be amended later this year to create certain safeguards to public health by requiring the manufacturing facilities and the drugs they produce to be approved by the regulatory authorities of either the USA, Canada or Europe. I am however gravely concerned that if the Ministerial order comes into effect [on] July 1 without these safeguards in place, there is nothing to stop substandard or counterfeit drugs finding their way into Bermuda pharmacies and into our two hospitals.“Upon learning of the order I met with the Minister and Permanent Secretary and advised them that, while I share their desire to lower the costs of Rx [i.e prescription] drugs in Bermuda, the safety of our people need not and should not be compromised in this way. The order and the amendments to the Pharmacy Act need to be introduced together to protect the public from substandard and counterfeit drugs.“I know that my concerns are shared by the Pharmacy Council, the members of the Bermuda Pharmaceutical Association and many of the island’s doctors and dentists. Even at this late stage I hope that the Government will delay the order until such time as the amendments which they plan to enact can be implemented.”The Ministry of Health was invited to respond to Ms Bolton’s remarks, but no comment was forthcoming by press time.