Who’s Accountable?

James N. Class, PhD

Ryan Haight.  Marcia Bergeron.  They paid with their wallets for diverted and counterfeit drugs.  They also paid with their lives.  

These tragedies have highlighted a few important facts. Someone hosted the criminal Web sites that sold these “medicines.” Someone enabled them to appear in Web search results. Someone processed the payments online. Who are these someone’s—and will they be held to account?

The sad fact is that we have no accountability for those who enable Internet-based criminal activity with medicine. Here’s a simple policy agenda for Congressional action:

1. Create a List of Legitimate Internet Pharmacies: The U.S. government should define a list of legitimate Internet pharmacies that meet comply with appropriate state and federal standards—or who participate in the VIPPS program.

2. Publicize the List: The government should share this list with all search engine and financial service companies to indicate which pharmacies are legal and allowed to operate.

3. Enforce the List: Assess fines for companies that continue to enable sales to the U.S. by companies not on the list. Hold them and their Boards liable for the dangerous drugs they are selling.

At the present time, the only parties who gain by Internet drug selling are the illicit Web sites who sell and the search engines who profit. There needs to be a focus on accountability and safety.

To learn more about how you can help protect our supply chain, regulate online pharmacies and fight counterfeit drugs, please visit SafeMedicines.org.