Office of National Drug Control Policy

ONDCP Excel Twenty-Seventh Row

Action Item Number: 
Action Item Name: 
Drive Illegal Internet Pharmacies Out of Business
Action Item Description: 

Proper and safe prescribing of medications rests on a triangle of responsibility comprising the patient, the prescriber, and the pharmacist.

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Some but not all Internet pharmacies live up to their part of this responsibility. Internet pharmacies that sell prescription pharmaceuticals without a valid prescription and/or personal contact between a patient and a physician are a threat to public health and a source of significant criminal revenue. The 2008 Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act requires all Internet pharmacies that exceed the thresholds set by the Act to obtain a special registration from and report monthly to DEA, to disclose detailed information on their home page, and to provide no pharmaceuticals to individuals who have not had at least one face-to-face evaluation by a prescribing medical practitioner. These increased controls have already had a significant impact on reducing the number of illegal Internet pharmacies. DEA will continue to partner with international, State, and local law enforcement agencies to further suppress these sources of prescription drug diversion and abuse.

Lead Agency: 
DOJ
Component(s): 
DEA