FDA warns companies against Internet sale of shady drugs
As part of a weeklong effort to curb the illegal sale of medical products on the Internet, the Food and Drug Administration issued 22 warning letters to the operators of 136 websites outside of the United States and Canada that are accused of selling unapproved or misbranded drugs to Americans.
The FDA also sent notifications to the Internet service providers and domain name registrars of the websites indicating that the sites may be operating in violation of the law, which could be grounds for termination of their websites. The project was cutely code-named Operation Pangea II.
The targeted sites
According to FDA records, the sites that were targeted for allegedly selling unapproved or mislabeled drugs include:
- 24-7pills.com
- 24-7rx.com
- 247meds.com
- 365pharm.com
- 366rx.com
- 4cheaprx.com
- allgenericpills.com
- american-pharm.com
- american-pharma.com
- americanmedsdirect.com
- andersenpharmacy.com
- approved-medical.com
- approved-pharm.com
- approved-refill-club.com
- approved-swiss-drugstore.com
- approved-swiss-meds.com
- approved-swiss-pharm.com
- approved-swiss-pharmacy.com
- approved-swisspharma.com
- aprixe.com
- bestdealrx.com
- bestrxdeal.com
- bestrxpharm.net
- bikekmba.org
- brand-meds.com
- brand-pharma.com
- buy-american-pharma.com
- buy-canadian-pharm.com
- buy-rx-today.com
- buycanadianpharmacy.net
- buyonlinemedications.com
- central-rx-refill.com
- cheap-phentermine-online.net
- cheapdrugsmd.com
- cheapphentermine.com
- dinnerdvrs.com
- direct-pharm.com
- direct-rx-refill.com
- discountwebmeds.com
- doctorphentermine.com
- dragon-rx.com
- dukepharmacy.com
- dutyfreemeds.com
- easy-pharm.com
- epharmacy-usa.com
- european-drugstore.com
- european-pharm.com
- first-american-pharmacy.com
- first-canadian-pharm.com
- first-refill-c1ub.com
- first-refill-online.com
- first-swiss-drugstore.com
- first-swiss-meds.com
- first-swiss-pharm.com
- first-swiss-pharmacy.com
- generics-pharm.net
- global-drugstore.com
- global-generics-source.com
- global-rx-pharm.com
- goask.org
- happypharmacy.net
- i-want-rx.com
- licensed-medical.com
- lion-rx.com
- mediwax.com
- medscourier.com
- medspricedright.com
- mexican-pharm.com
- mexicanpharma.com
- michaelpharmacy.com
- my-pill.com
- my-refilldrugstore. com
- myfleacircus.com
- mypillsfinder.com
- mypillshop.net
- mywebmarquee.com
- online-pharma-rx.com
- online-pharmacy-4u.com
- online-pharmacy-no-prescription.com
- onlinepharmacynorx.info
- onlinepharmacyy.com
- petpetcentral.com
- pharma-direct.com
- pharma-discounts.com
- pharmacy-usa.biz
- pharmacytouch.com
- pharmalove.com
- pharmazero.com
- pill-planet.com
- pillsshipping.com
- preferredpharma.com
- prescriptionsintl.com
- pricedpills.com
- quickgeneric.com
- refill-club.com
- refill-drugstore.com
- refill-online.com
- refill-rx-now.com
- refill-rxmeds.com
- rx-easypharmacy.com
- rx-giant.com
- rx-life.com
- rxabode.com
- rxbynet.com
- rxcalm.com
- rxcart.com
- rxgenericsstore.com
- rxontv.com
- rxpharm.ws
- secure-rx-refills.com
- shrinkrapthemovie.com
- smsrx.net
- sorasheart.com
- swiss-meds.com
- swissmeds.com
- terameds.org
- thewomantour.com
- top-hotpills.com
- top-uspharm.com
- topdrugstore.net
- total-pharma.com
- trust-european-pharmacy.com
- trust-pharm.com
- trusted-tabs.us
- trustmeds.com
- uk-online-pharmacy.com
- ultra-rx.com
- us-pharmacy.us
- us-rx-meds.com
- us-value-pharm.com
- usrxmeds.net
- value-drugstore.com
- value-european-pharmacy.com
- valuedrugspharmacy.com
- walona.com
- wellknowndrugs.com
What they’re accused of
The sites apparently sold generic, branded and “herbal” varieties of various drugs, including:
- Accutane
- Acomplia
- Altivan
- Ambien
- Cialis
- Diazepam
- Levitra
- Lunesta
- Phentermine
- Prozac
- Rimonabant
- Valium
- Viagra
- Vicodin
- Xanax
- Zimulti
Acomplia is a weight-loss drug also known as rimonabant, which was approved for use in the European Union but has never been allowed in the United States because of increased risk of severe depression, suicide and similar health problems.
Phentermine is an appetite suppressant that was part of the potentially deadly drug combo known as fen-phen. On its own it is still available, but in some countries it is classified as a controlled substance because of its similarity to amphetamines in the body. It can cause increased heart rate and palpitations, which could be dangerous in someone who already has high blood pressure and gets the substance in a supposedly herbal weight loss supplement without knowing it.
Potential dangers
Drug interactions and side effects from drugs people don’t know they’re taking are some of the big worries when unlicensed and unlabeled sales are taking place on the Internet, but even those drugs that are properly labeled often have a different dosage or are of inconsistent quality, FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg says.
“Many U.S. consumers are being misled in the hopes of saving money by purchasing prescription drugs over the Internet from illegal pharmacies,” she said in a news release. “Unfortunately, these drugs are often counterfeit, contaminated, or unapproved products, or contain an inconsistent amount of the active ingredient. Taking these drugs can pose a danger to consumers.”
(By Sarah E. White for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)
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