FDA attacks online frauds
October 2, 2012
THE US Food and Drug
Administration has taken aim at
dangerous internet pharmacies,
saying that fraudulent Internet
pharmacies put consumers health
at risk.
The new consumer awareness
campaign launched last week and
aims to raise public awareness
about the prevalence of fraudulent
Internet pharmacies.
According to FDA figures, nearly
one in four internet consumers
have purchased prescription
medicine online, despite data from
the US National Association of
Boards of Pharmacy which
indicates that less than 3% of
online pharmacies meet US state
and federal laws.
The figures were part of a NABP
study of 10,065 online pharmacies,
which found that a whopping 97%
violated US laws and/or NAPB safe
practice standards.
“Buying medicines from rogue
online pharmacies can be risky
because they may sell fake,
expired, contaminated, not
approved by FDA, or otherwise
unsafe products that are
dangerous to patients,” said FDA
Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.
“Fraudulent and illegal online
pharmacies often offer deeply
discounted products.
“If the low prices seem too good
to be true, they probably are,” she
added.
The FDA struck out at the online
fraudsters saying that they use
sophisticated marketing efforts or
phony web storefronts to appear
legitimate, and that patients who
purchase their medicines from
these sites may be putting their
health at risk because the products
may contain the wrong ingredients,
contain too little, too much, or no
active ingredient at all, or be made
with other harmful ingredients.
To combat the rise of dodgy
internet pharmacies and to protect
consumers, the FDA has said that
patients should only buy
prescription drugs through online
pharmacies that: require a valid
prescription from a doctor or other
health care professional; are
located in the US; have a licensed
pharmacist available for consultation;
and are licensed by the patient’s
state board of pharmacy.
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