FDA Goes After Websites for Offering Illegal Drugs
The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on operators of more than 100 Internet websites accused of selling illegal, unapproved, and potentially dangerous drugs for sale on line.
The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations sent 22 warning letters to the people responsible for 136 websites, informing them that they were operating in violation of U.S laws by offering illegal drugs. The sites prey on patients who may be cash-strapped and desperate to find an alternative to filling their prescriptions at traditional pharmacies, authorities said.
“Many U.S. consumers are being misled in the hopes of saving money by purchasing prescription drugs over the Internet from illegal pharmacies,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “Unfortunately, these drugs are often counterfeit, contaminated, or unapproved products, or contain an inconsistent amount of the active ingredient. Taking these drugs can pose a danger to consumers.”
None of the sites are for pharmacies located in the United States or Canada, FDA officials said.
In addition to warning the site operators, the FDA also notified the Internet service providers and domain name registrars of the offending sites, telling them that the sites are operating illegally. FDA officials said in some cases, the allegations may be sufficient for the service providers to suspend operation of the sites.
The FDA also has warned about Internet offers of products claiming to diagnose, treat, or cure the H1N1 swine flu influenza virus and illegal flavored cigarettes that violate the new U.S. ban on such tobacco products directed and children.
Related posts:
- MuscleMaster.com Recalls Supplements Due to Illegal Steroids A total of 17 dietary supplements sold by MuscleMaster.com last...
- Companies Warned for Selling Illegal Flavored Cigarettes On Line Just months after a U.S. ban on flavored cigarettes went...
- AstraZeneca Will Pay $520 Million for Illegal Marketing of Seroquel AstraZeneca, the drug company behind the blockbuster psychiatric drug Seroquel,...
- Stryker Biotech Indicted for Illegal Promotion of Medical Devices Stryker Biotech LLC, a leading manufacturer of medical devices used...
- W.V. Sues Pfizer for Illegal Promotion of Anti-Psychotic Drug Geodon Drug maker Pfizer illegally promotes its anti-psychotic drug Geodon for...
