U.S. consumers are increasingly relying on Internet pharmacies to obtain lower-cost prescription drugs. However, federal and state investigators say that many of these pharmacies do not follow U.S. and state regulations and sell misbranded, counterfeit, expired, improperly labeled, and/or potentially harmful drugs to unsuspecting consumers. These illicit Internet pharmacies are typically fraudulent enterprises that offer prescription drugs without a prescription and are not appropriately licensed.

According to a recent FDA survey, nearly 1 in 4 adult U.S. Internet consumers have purchased prescription drugs online. In response to the magnitude of the problem, earlier this month, the GAO released a report that identifies (1) how rogue sites violate federal and state laws, (2) challenges federal agencies face in investigating and prosecuting operators, (3) efforts to combat rogue Internet pharmacies, and (4) efforts to educate consumers about the risks of purchasing prescription drugs online. The report was a cooperative effort with several federal and state agencies that share responsibility for administering and enforcing laws related to internet pharmacies, as well as drug manufacturers, payment processors and other stakeholders.

The report explains how there are more than 34,000 rogue Internet pharmacies that are putting U.S. consumers at risk, and the various challenges lawmakers are facing in trying to stop them, including:

• Most illegal online pharmacies are located overseas, placing them beyond U.S. enforcement action;
• Many rogue online pharmacies have developed strategies to avoid detection and identification, such as separating business components across different countries.
• Such pharmacies target U.S. consumers through deceptive advertising techniques, such as claiming that their drugs are manufactured and approved for sale in Canada and marketing themselves as Canadian-based companies.

The report’s findings could provide some guidance to state lawmakers considering measures that would allow residents to purchase prescriptions from outside of the U.S. by mail or online. Among these findings, the GAO reports that one of the most effective ways to prevent such pharmacies from profiting and inflicting harm is by educating U.S. residents about them.

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The Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) and our 13 member companies have the shared goal of helping address the growing problem of consumer access to illegitimate pharmaceutical products on the Internet. Continue to read this blog for updates on CSIP’s education, enforcement and information-sharing efforts.