News & Updates
The Latest on Internet Pharmacies, Supplements, Designer Drugs,
and Other High-Risk Merchants
LegitScript recognized in congressional hearing on illegal drug supply
The House Energy & Commerce Committee hosted a subcommittee hearing last month on fighting illegal drug supply chains, including rogue Internet pharmacies. We were pleased that LegitScript was mentioned as part of the solution on multiple occasions. In his opening statement, subcommittee Chairman Tim Murphy quoted statistics from LegitScript including: nearly 97 percent of Internet “pharmacy”…
It’s a dangerous supplement world out there
We’ve posted cautionary tales on certain dietary supplements here and here. Unfortunately, it’s time for another blog about the dangers lurking behind the seemingly innocent dietary supplements claiming to help you lose weight or treat your erectile dysfunction. Just this week, the US FDA published nine new warnings regarding tainted weight loss and erectile dysfunction…
Changes made to LegitScript’s Healthcare Product Bulk Search subscription plans
The API has landed. LegitScript has moved away from its prior subscription plans to an API model. The API will allow registered users to directly query data on healthcare products and receive LegitScript’s information relevant to those products. After signing up for an API key, you will be able to access our data in real time…
Get to know LegitScript in 37signals’ Bootstrapped blog series
If you’ve ever wondered who we are and how we work — and what our office mascot, Parker, looks like — check out this new article from Signal vs. Noise. For its series Bootstrapped, Profitable & Proud, 37signals profiled LegitScript from our early underdog status through our evolution to a multilingual staff of 30-plus, working with…
New Internet pharmacy findings in NABP report: falsified VIPPS accreditations, fake medicines
A recent report from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy outlines the deceptive practices of the majority of Internet pharmacies in the online healthcare marketplace. After reviewing 10,533 pharmacy websites over the last quarter, NABP found that a number of Internet drug sellers were falsely claiming to be accredited by NABP’s VIPPS program. Of…
Find LegitScript on Twitter to report suspicious Internet pharmacies
We recently added a handful of rogue Internet pharmacy domain names to our database after a tip from a Twitter user. All the websites reported to us are being linked to from a hijacked law firm website and have .pl and .ru TLDs. The websites are operated by the criminal network EVApharmacy and use a…
LegitScript featured on STOPfakes.gov
STOPfakes.gov, an initiative to protect intellectual property rights in the global marketplace, has included LegitScript among its pharmaceutical resources for consumers and businesses — highlighting the online pharmacy legitimacy checker on our home page. The US government launched StopFakes.gov to provide tools for consumers, companies, government officials and the public in the battle against counterfeit…
Pharmatheke branches out to Japan
The rogue Internet pharmacy network Pharmatheke, which operates hundreds of websites that ship medications to customers in many parts of the world but mainly focuses on the German market, has made a foray into Japan. The website genericcialis-japan.com, launched in April, targets Japanese customers and sells several Cialis products, including unapproved “generic” (and “generika”) versions as…
How illicit online pharmacies misuse GPhC Internet pharmacy registration
Pharmacies in the United Kingdom, including those that sell medicines online, must register with the General Pharmaceutical Council, the regulatory body that sets standards for pharmacy owners and maintains a registry of pharmacy professionals in the UK. Like the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and LegitScript in the US, the GPhC administers a seal…
Turkey’s policies on Internet pharmacies
Note: This is part of a series of overviews of drug policies and regulations in countries outside the United States as they relate to Internet drug sales. In LegitScript’s day-to-day operations evaluating the legitimacy of Internet pharmacies, our analysts monitor websites and advertisements in countries around the world — and our classification standards extend to…