Risks of Buying Prescription Drugs from Illegal Online Sellers Highlighted in NBC Connecticut Report

The risks of ordering medications online and of receiving dangerous counterfeit products are highlighted in a recent NBC Connecticut report. In the segment, NBC Connecticut’s investigative troubleshooting team, along with global pharmaceutical security experts from Pfizer explain that many counterfeit drugs contain dangerous ingredients, are created in unsanitary environments, and may not even contain the active ingredient of the drug the consumer intended to buy. The Pfizer security experts report finding ingredients such as boric acid, sheet rock, road paint, and talc in counterfeit drugs, and emphasize that ordering from a rogue site is like playing Russian Roulette because, “you don’t know what you’re getting or where” the product is coming from.

The news segment also highlighted information from the NABP Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program Progress Report for State and Federal Regulators: July 2013 (PDF) and cited the Association’s finding that of more than 10,000 Web sites selling prescription medications nearly 97% operate out of compliance with pharmacy laws and practice standards which have been established to protect public health in the United States and many other developed countries. The news program also recommended that consumers consult the list of recommended sites that have been accredited by the NABP Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites^CM (VIPPS^®) accreditation program. The list of VIPPS-accredited sites is available at www.AWARErx.ORG.