Internet pharmacy safeguards, we salute you

As I (Libby Baney of ASOP—Global) wrote in December 2015, some Internet commerce companies — including domain name registries, registrars, advertising providers, social media platforms, payment processors and shippers — are doing right by patients in taking voluntary action against illegal online drug sellers. This is no small feat as 97% of the roughly 35,000 active online drug sellers are operating illegally.

These sites offer prescription medicines without a prescription, peddle fake or unapproved medications, and/or don't have the required pharmacy licensure. Worse, Internet consumers don't realize that these online drug sellers put their health and financial security at risk. A recent report by LegitScript done for the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP), The Internet Pharmacy Market in 2016, highlights current trends and challenges in the Internet pharmacy market and showcases how voluntary actions by private sector companies are helping to curb the problem. The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies—Global—applauds responsible voluntary action by Internet commerce companies and encourages other companies to follow suit. While ASOP Global and our members and nonprofit partners, including CSIP, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, and ASOP-EU among others, are doing our best to educate consumers about the dangers of illegal online drug sellers, controlling the "demand side" is only one part of the complex patient safety equation.