Most of the 35,000 online pharmacies around the world operate illegally and may be selling unsafe or ineffective drugs, according to the US Trade Representative's annual report.famous markets“report.
Ninety-six percent of online pharmacies were found to be breaking the law by operating without a license and selling drugs without a prescription. According to a 2024 report published on Wednesday, around 20 new illegal pharmacy sites are created every day around the world.
“The health and safety concerns raised by counterfeit medicines are of particular concern,” trade representative Catherine Tye said in a statement.
The report revealed more than 30 online stores that were selling counterfeit products. Websites often impersonate legitimate e-commerce platforms with false claims that they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The compiled report also singled out 19 countries because of concerns about counterfeit or pirated products.
Online pharmacies gained power during the COVID-19 pandemic, when demand for prescription drugs was high and many patients may have stayed at home. Meanwhile, there are physical pharmacies closing his door and at least 7,000 pharmacies have closed in the US since 2019, This was reported by the Associated Pressciting data from the University of Pittsburgh.
In October, the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a public safety alert about illegal pharmacy websites that sell and deliver counterfeit pills to patients who believe they are purchasing genuine pharmaceuticals.
Last year, the FDA issued warnings to several online pharmacies selling suspected counterfeit products, demanding that the websites stop selling those products.