NABP report profiles prevalence of illegal online drug sales

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) released a report profiling the continued prevalence of illegal online drug selling activity and the need for greater awareness about the risks posed to public health.

The report, the Internet Drug Outlet Identification Program Progress Report for State and Federal Regulators: April 2015, said that the threat that illegal online drug sellers poses emphasizes the need of constant consumer education efforts. The report features NABP’s data that was collected on websites that sell medicine illegally online to United States patients since 2008. Since that time, NABP has reviewed almost 11,000 Internet drug outlets and found that 96.2 percent of the sites operate out of compliance with U.S. pharmacy laws and practice standards.

Currently, approximately 88.3 percent of “Not Recommended” sites are selling prescription drugs without requiring a valid prescription, approximately 62 percent don’t provide a valid address and almost 50 percent offer drugs that are foreign or not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The report cites the consumer outreach being done through the Association’s Pharmacy Top-Level Domain and the AWARxE Prescription Drug Safety programs.

To find the safest sources for purchasing medicine online, NABP recommends looking for the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites Seal on an accredited site and to check NABP’s list of accredited sites on its prescription drug safety website, http://www.awarerx.org/.