Counterfeit drug sales hit $75 billion worldwide in 2010, a 90% increase from the previous year, according to the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP).
INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, the Permanent Forum of International Pharmaceutical Crime, the Heads of Medicines Agencies Working Group of Enforcement Officers, Pharmaceutical Security Institute, and Europol directed the Pangea V, with participation from more than 100 countries.
The operation also received support from CSIP, as well as a group of Internet and e-commerce companies that includes Visa, American Express, MasterCard, Yahoo, Facebook, and PayPal.
The FDA said it targeted websites selling “unapproved and potentially dangerous medicines.” The agency sent warning letters to the operators of more than 4,100 identified websites and then notified registries, Internet service providers, and domain name registrars that these websites were selling products in violation of U.S. law.