FDA Wants You To Be Safe When Buying Drugs Online

FDA launches BeSafeRx, a national campaign to make online pharmacy shopping safer, warning consumers that 97% of pharmacies online don’t adhere to state and federal laws.

In a report carried by the Washington Post, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg has announced a new consumer education campaign, aimed at protecting the American consumer from counterfeit drugs.

Counterfeit drugs and online pharmacies have been in the news a great deal in the last year. The biggest story, the infiltration of counterfeit cancer treatments into the US drug supply happened in February. Then there was the widely reported warning that counterfeit versions of a generic of Adderall were being sold online. The FDA has also successfully investigated illegal online pharmacy activities precipitating arrests in Florida, Texas, and Canada.

In their annual report, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy focused additional attention on the shady world of online pharmacies, finding that upwards of 97% of the thousands of online pharmacies are not abiding by federal and state laws. In fact many operate outside the United States and offer drugs without a doctor’s prescription.

With BeSafeRx , the FDA is reaching out to consumers and health practitioners with the hope that they will educate themselves about the dangers posed by illegal online pharmacies. BeSafeRx encourages consumers to know the risks associated with buying from a a fake online pharmacy, get to know the signs and be able to spot a fake online pharmacy when they see one, and get to know their online pharmacy so they can purchase drugs online safely.
For more information, visit: http://www.fda.gov/BeSafeRx

By S. Imber