Both Fake Online Pharmacies That Received FDA Warning Letters In March Have Finally Ceased Operations
A portion of TheDonRx’s website before it went offline
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters on March 27, 2019 to Azmedicinalshop.com and Thedonrx.net. Letters to both websites warned about selling unapproved and misbranded drugs to American consumers. Specifically cited in each letter was that both websites sold non-FDA-approved versions of tramadol, a Schedule IV pain reliever. Both websites had 15 days to respond to the FDA’s letter.
Shortly after receiving their letter, azmedicinalshop.com’s website went offline. The Internet Archive most recently captured this website on March 9, 2019 and shows categories of pills included “ADD/ADHD,” “ANTI ANXIETY,” and “PAIN KILLERS.” Pills from any of these categories require a doctor’s prescription. This fact runs contrary to multiple statements online made by azmedicinalshop.com saying pills can be purchased with or without a prescription. One example can still be viewed on the cached version of Boston Wishesh.
Thedonrx.net continued to operate their website until July 10, 2019. The Internet Archive does have some of thedonrx.net’s website and suspended Twitter account recorded and a link on thedonrx.net’s old website goes to their still active Flicker page for Dr. Max. On Flicker, Dr. Max is said to be the person behind thedonrx.net. Claiming to operate pharmacies in southeast Asia, thedonrx.net stated that the majority of their drugs come from Western Europe. A LinkedIn profile says Dr. Max can be found in Thailand. Drugs listed on these pages – all of which require a prescription in the U.S – included Valium, Percocet, Xanax, tramadol, Ritalin, and Adderall. Also on that list was flunitrazepam, also known as Rohypnol, which while being listed as a Schedule IV drug has not been approved by the FDA for any legitimate medical use and is considered an illegal drug.
According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), 95% of online pharmacies are not operating within laws and standards. The chance that you will purchase medication online from an illegitimate pharmacy far outweigh your chances of stumbling upon a real one, but there is a better way for you to know that you are purchasing your medications from a safe place. The NABP operates the .pharmacy domain, which means that any website that ends in .pharmacy is guaranteed to sell safe and effective medications. The current list of verified .pharmacy retailers is available online.