News & Updates
The Latest on Internet Pharmacies, Supplements, Designer Drugs,
and Other High-Risk Merchants
Man Sentenced to Seven Years for Death Related to the Sale of Dangerous Chemical for Weight Loss
A UK man was sentenced last week to seven years in prison for the death of a woman to whom he sold the industrial chemical 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), a compound abused by bodybuilders and other people for weight-loss purposes. Bernard Rebelo, now 31, was convicted of manslaughter after 21-year-old Eloise Parry, also from the UK, died…
Report: The State of Opioid Sales on the Dark Web
This week, the Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) released a report prepared by LegitScript on the state of opioids sales on the dark web. This months-long survey looked at the way in which drugs, in particular opioids, are sold on the dark web and to what extent this secretive portion of the internet is…
E-cigarettes Remain a Pervasive Problem for Youth
Tobacco use among youth in the US is down, but e-cigarettes still pose the greatest challenge to reducing nicotine consumption among middle and high schoolers. These are the findings of the 2017 National Youth Tobacco Survey, released this month by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Food and Drug Administration…
Do You Know How to Spot SARMs?
In April, the US Senate introduced the SARMs Control Act of 2018, which would empower the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to regulate selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) as an extension of the Designer Anabolic Steroids Control Act of 2014. Few people understand what SARMs are, and even fewer know how to spot them. This becomes…
FDA Warning Letters for Kratom Merchants Could Mean Steep Fines for Payment Processors
The US Food and Drug Administration recently issued warning letters to three businesses marketing and distributing kratom for making unproven claims about their products on their websites and social media, including the claim it can help in the treatment of opioid addiction and withdrawal. These claims make the products unapproved new drugs sold in violation…
How Does the Partial Rollback of Dodd-Frank Affect Payment Facilitators and UDAAP?
The US House of Representatives voted this week to repeal parts of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the 2010 legislation that brought significant changes to financial regulation in the United States after the Great Recession. Because Dodd-Frank led to the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), payment facilitators and…
Apetamin: An Unapproved Drug Masquerading as a Vitamin Syrup for Weight Gain
A search of “Apetamin” online yields pages of results of websites selling brown bottles with bright orange labels. Many search results include social media accounts showing full-body selfies of women who attribute their curves to this “weight gain syrup.” But Apetamin is not a harmless vitamin supplement as payment facilitators might think — it’s a…
We Answer Your Questions About LegitScript’s Addiction Treatment Certification
Last month, LegitScript launched a new certification program for drug and alcohol addiction treatment providers aimed at reducing the influence of opportunistic providers that have been cashing in on patients’ recovery efforts and insurance billing opportunities. The program is also an opportunity for legitimate providers that are certified and monitored by LegitScript to advertise…
Ghost Guns Pose Reputational Risk for Payment Facilitators
Payment facilitators typically prohibit merchants selling firearms because of card brand rules, and because the complex web of jurisdictional laws in the US makes it difficult to track the legality of weapon purchases. Despite this prohibition, some merchants try to skirt the terms and conditions of payment processors by selling firearms that aren’t technically firearms…
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Stresses Both Awareness and Action
The abuse of prescription drugs is a complex, multifaceted problem that can’t be solved alone by government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, advocacy organizations, groups of industry professionals, or members of the public. But it can be solved by the combined efforts of all of these. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day not only highlights the action…