FDA Cracks Down On Websites Illegally Selling Medications

The Washington Post (9/25, McGinley) reports that the Food and Drug Administration “targeted more than 500 websites it said were illegally selling unapproved versions of prescription medications, including opioids, antibiotics and injectable epinephrine products.” The agency’s crackdown was a part of “a global operation called Pangea X, led by the international police organization Interpol.” The effort “involved police, customs and regulatory officials from 123 countries and resulted in the seizure of millions of doses of dietary supplements, pain reduction [drugs], epilepsy medication, erectile dysfunction [drugs] and antipsychotic medication, Interpol said.” In a statement, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said, “The ease with which consumers can purchase opioid products online is especially concerning to me, given the immense public health crisis of addiction facing our country.”

Reuters (9/25, Clarke) reports that the FDA issued warning letters and seized “nearly 100 website domain names, including buyhydrocodoneonline.com and buyklonopin.com.” Gottlieb “said the agency has tripled its international mail inspectors and doubled its cybercrime and port of entry agents” as “part of a broader plan the FDA is developing to intercept illegal drugs.”

Additional coverage is provided by MedPage Today (9/25, Fiore).

Related Links:

— “FDA targets hundreds of ‘rogue’ websites illegally selling opioids and other prescription drugs,” Laurie McGinley, Washington Post, September 25, 2017.

Posted in In The News.