By Daniel J. DeNoon
Fake online pharmacies are an emerging health threat, the FDA warns.
The FDA points to a recent study by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which represents the state agencies that license U.S. pharmacies.
Of the 10,065 online pharmacies in the NABP study, 9,734 — 97% — violated state or federal laws and/or NABP safety and practice standards.
Noting that 97% of online pharmacies are illegal in the U.S., the FDA has begun a campaign to warn consumers about what it sees as an emerging threat.
“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,” FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD, said.