Consumers are often concerned about prescription drug shortages. Rogue Internet drug outlets are both exploiting these legitimate concerns and creating false fears by spreading misinformation in order to sell counterfeit and substandard drugs online. With real shortages of cancer, antibiotic, nutrition, and electrolyte-imbalance medicines, combined with inflated fears around exotic diseases, illegal online drug sellers are taking advantage of a lucrative niche market for fake prescription medicine.
The following are examples of how illegal online drug sellers are preying on consumer fears:

• Since the start of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received a number of consumer complaints about bogus products purporting to “cure” Ebola being sold online. In reality, “there are no approved vaccines, drugs, or investigational products specifically for Ebola available for purchase on the Internet,” the FDA said. There is, in fact, no cure for Ebola at all, though experimental treatments have recently helped patients in the U.S. weather the virus. It should also be noted that, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola does not pose a significant threat to the U.S. public. ?
• Several rogue drug sites have been affiliated with selling counterfeit Avastin, a cancer medication that is in short supply. Counterfeiters have used the fact that the drug is in short supply to prey on people’s fears, putting patients who have fallen victim in danger. ?
• There is a shortage of the medication Papaverine, which is used by cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons. Unlabeled uses for Papaverine include injections for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Many associate the shortage of this particular treatment with an overall shortage of ED drugs. However, most of the other drugs used to treat ED are not in short supply and many of the ED drugs sold online are counterfeits of legitimate brands.

Patients and health care providers can learn which medications are truly in short supply, and how to distinguish legitimate sources from fraudulent ones. It is always prudent to check the FDA website for updates on drugs that are actually in short supply. Remember, if you are planning to purchase drugs online, please make sure your online health purchases are safe by using our partner LegitScript’s Pharmacy Verification Tool. Also, if you have concerns about a website or drug seller, please report the information to the FDA for further investigation using our online portal.

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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.