Many online pharmacies operate illegally and may sell dangerous or ineffective drugs, the US warns

According to the US Trade Representative’s annual report, most of the 35,000 online pharmacies worldwide operate illegally and may sell dangerous or ineffective drugs.popular markets” report.

96 percent of online pharmacies were found to be in violation of the law, that is, they operate without a license and sell over-the-counter drugs. Around 20 new illegal pharmacy websites are created worldwide every day, according to a 2024 report released on Wednesday.

“The health and safety concerns raised by counterfeit medicines are particularly troubling,” Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement.

The report identified more than 30 online retailers selling counterfeit products. Websites often impersonate legitimate e-commerce platforms and make false claims that they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The report also singled out 19 countries with concerns about counterfeit or pirated products.

Online pharmacies gained traction Demand for prescription drugs is high during the COVID-19 pandemic and many patients may be confined to their homes. Meanwhile, there are physical pharmacies they close their doors 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 both public safety alert about illegal pharmacy websites that sell and ship fake pills to patients who believe they are getting real pharmaceutical drugs.

Last year the FDA gave warnings has appealed to many online pharmacies selling suspected fake products, demanding that their websites stop selling the products.