FDA INTERPOL IMPACT IIWA Bust Almost 300 Websites

Monday, October 18, 2010

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The FDA participated in an effort to bust nearly 300 websites.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory and international partners have completed the International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), a coordinated, cooperative effort to curb online sales and distribution of counterfeit and illicit medical products. IIWA took place between October 5-12, 2010.

The IIWA is an initiative sponsored by INTERPOL, the World Health Organization's International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force (IMPACT), and the Permanent Forum on International Pharmaceutical Crime, as well as national health and law enforcement agencies from 40 participating countries.

The goal of the IIWA is to protect the public health by increasing the public's awareness about the dangers and risks associated with purchasing drugs and medical devices from Internet websites, to identify the producers and distributors of counterfeit or otherwise illegal pharmaceutical products or medical devices, to target these individuals or businesses with civil or criminal action, and to seize counterfeit and illegal products and remove them from the supply chain.

294 Web sites that appeared to be engaged in the illegal sale of unapproved/misbranded drugs to U.S. consumers were targeted. A total of 274 have been suspended or no longer offer pharmaceuticals for sale. The FDA is working with its foreign counterparts to address the remaining 20 Web sites which continue to offer unapproved prescription drugs to U.S. consumers.

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