Illegal and Counterfeit Drugs Online and the Cybersquatting Problem

The problem of cybersquatting is something of a concern to international drug-makers as it is a key part in the international problem of counterfeit and illegal drugs sold online.The European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM) in their report The Counterfeiting Superhighway says:

  • 62% of medicines purchased online are fake or substandard (including medicines indicated to treat serious conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, neurological disorders, and mental health conditions).
  • 95.6% of online pharmacies researched are operating illegally.
  • 94% of websites do not have a named, verifiable pharmacist.
  • Over 90% of websites supply prescription-only medicines without a prescription.

The report notes “while authorities have had some successes in closing down illegal sites and prosecuting those behind the businesses, it is a significant challenge to find these nameless, shadowy online operators. Illegitimate internet pharmaciesthe problem of selling prescription medicines open and close on a daily basis, while a single outfit masquerading as a registered business” may have many domain names. Therefore, tracking the movement of products and finding the ‘brains’ behind counterfeit medicine sales requires sustained, intricate and often covert operations.One of the recommendations for dealing with the problem of counterfeit drugs and illegal online pharmacies is for professional pharmacy societies to create “national databases which include URLs and information on all regulated online pharmacies, will allow consumers to find reliable websites from which to purchase POMs. These databases must be made known to the general public and advertised through a variety of media on a regular basis.The full 32 page report from the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines, The Counterfeiting Superhighway, is available online from eaasm.eu/Media_Centre/News/The_Counterfeiting_Superhighway.

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