| The FDA's latest crackdown targets pharmacies hawking illegal opioids online. The agency issued warning letters this week to nine online pharmacies that run 53 websites selling drugs with suspect monikers like "Roxycodone" and "Tramadol Generic". Many of the websites shut down one day later, but at least one—OneStopPharma.org — was still operating Thursday morning. While legitimate FDA-approved pharma opioid makers had long quit marketing to consumers and even doctors, the illegal online pill-pushing remains rampant. And the FDA is trying to enlist the online platforms that host or display ads from the fly-by-night pharmacies. "The internet is virtually awash in illegal narcotics, and we’re going to be taking new steps to work with legitimate internet firms to voluntarily crack down on these sales," Gottlieb said in a statement announcing the crackdown on online marketers. The summit is aimed at finding "new ways to work collaboratively" with the social and tech companies "to address these issues." Purdue Pharma quit marketing its opioid drug Oxycontin to doctors earlier this year, while other opioid makers—including Endo, Teva, Allergan and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen unit—had allstopped marketing opioids before Purdue's announcement, with some backing off several years ago (Fierce Phama) |
