Internet Pharmacies: Some Pose Safety Risks for Consumers and Are Unreliable in Their Business Practices

United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2004-06-17 monographic deposited born digital 23 p. GA 1.13:GAO-04-888T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-888T P0b002ee1803913a8 f:d04888t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-888T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-888T GAO-04-888T Consumer protection Drugs Health hazards Internet Pharmaceutical industry Safety regulation Safety standards Web sites Testimony A10557 Internet Pharmacies: Some Pose Safety Risks for Consumers and Are Unreliable in Their Business Practices As the demand for and the cost of prescription drugs rise, many consumers have turned to the Internet to purchase them. However, the global nature of the Internet can hinder state and federal efforts to identify and regulate Internet pharmacies to help assure the safety and efficacy of products sold. Recent reports of unapproved and counterfeit drugs sold over the Internet have raised further concerns. This testimony summarizes a GAO report: Internet Pharmacies: Some Pose Safety Risks for Consumers, GAO-04-820 (June 17, 2004). GAO was asked to examine (1) the extent to which certain drugs can be purchased over the Internet without a prescription; (2) whether the drugs are handled properly, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and authentic; and (3) the extent to which Internet pharmacies are reliable in their business practices. GAO attempted to purchase up to 10 samples of 13 different drugs, each from a different pharmacy Web site, including sites in the United States, Canada, and other foreign countries. GAO assessed the condition of the samples it received and forwarded the samples to their manufacturers to determine whether they were approved by FDA, safe, and authentic. GAO also confirmed the locations of several Internet pharmacies and undertook measures to examine the reliability of their business practices. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-888T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-888T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-888T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-888T.pdf GAO-04-888T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-888T Testimony GAO-04-888T; Internet Pharmacies: Some Pose Safety Risks for Consumers and Are Unreliable in Their Business Practices; Consumer protection Drugs Health hazards Internet Pharmaceutical industry Safety regulation Safety standards Web sites