The Food and Drug Administration has issued 22 warning letters to operators of international Internet pharmacies for the sale of misbranded or unapproved drugs to U.S. consumers, according to a news release.
The warning letters were part of a coordinated weeklong effort by the FDA, the World Health Organization, and health and international law enforcement agencies from 26 countries to curb illegal activity involving medical products. “Many U.S. consumers are being misled in the hopes of saving money by purchasing prescription drugs over the Internet from illegal pharmacies,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. “Unfortunately, these drugs are often counterfeit, contaminated or unapproved products, or contain an inconsistent amount of the active ingredient.”
During the effort, participating agencies targeted 136 Web sites that appeared to be engaged in illegal sales of medical products. In addition to sending out a warning letter to violators, the agencies also notified Internet service providers and domain name registrars of the illegal activities. The notifications may provide grounds for terminating the Web sites and suspending the use of domain names, FDA officials said.
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