Prepared by LegitScript.com for the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies
This report was commissioned by the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) in order to give CSIP members and other stakeholders an understanding of the current trends and challenges in the Internet pharmacy market. This report also illustrates the impact of zero-tolerance policies on illegal activity, and how companies, like CSIP’s members, are protecting consumer health and safety through their work to block unsafe sites, collaborate with law enforcement, and educate consumers.
This report addresses the following questions related to the online marketplace for prescription medicines: How is the market evolving or changing? How is the illicit segment of that market adapting to countermeasures put in place by regulatory authorities and private entities, including many of the leading e-commerce, online advertising, domain name, hosting, payment, and shipping intermediaries? And, for intermediaries, what are possible areas of regulatory risk going forward?
The report finds that in each of the five sectors, voluntary practices have led to a disruption in the illicit market, and made it harder for illegal online pharmacies to conduct business. CSIP members encourage other stakeholders to be willing to take voluntary actions that will enable the Internet to be safer for consumers.