How to Spot and Fight Illegal Online Pharmacies

Bringing Brands Together to Protect Consumer Health

It is estimated that there are as many as 40,000 illegal online pharmacies operating online today. These illicit operations are known to offer a variety of painkillers, cancer drugs, and even unapproved COVID-19 treatments, but none of them is authorised to do so.

Shockingly, new estimates suggest illegal online pharmacies fulfilled 416 million “prescriptions” to patients in the United States alone from 2017 to 2022 – equating to around 1.6% of all prescriptions issued in that period. Those prescriptions are estimated to be worth $28 billion a year, highlighting the scale and seriousness of this illicit supply chain.

But it’s not just about lost revenues. Substandard and falsified (SF) medical products can also endanger lives, as they may include toxic or ineffective substances, have incorrect dosages, or fail to provide the intended treatment.

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