FDA Closes 18,000 Online Pharmacies

The Federal Drug Administration is investigating 18,000 online pharmacies for selling counterfeit, potentially harmful prescription medications. Working with over 100 countries during the fifth annual Internet Week of Action, the FDA seized more than 10 million dollars worth of counterfeit drugs. Additionally they are bringing civil and criminal charges against 4,100 sites. The goal of this annual action is to identify producers and distributors of illegal medications and remove them from the supply chain. Some sites were selling medication that had been previously removed from the U.S. market due to serious side effects.