News & Updates
The Latest on Internet Pharmacies, Supplements, Designer Drugs,
and Other High-Risk Merchants
LegitScript Addiction Treatment Certification Expands to Include Facebook
I’m pleased to share the news that, starting today, Facebook will require LegitScript certification for providers of drug and alcohol addiction treatment who want to advertise in the United States. This partnership follows the official rollout of our program, which began at the end of July after an initial pre-launch phase. Now both Google and…
Operators of So-Called Canadian Pharmacy Sentenced for Distributing Misbranded Prescription Drugs
Last year, we wrote about criminal charges against Billy Lee, Tarn Uppal, and Tony Lee, who operated “Canadian” internet pharmacies but shipped US residents drugs that were not really from Canada. This week, the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations announced sentencing for these British Columbia residents, amounting to three years’ probation and a fine of…
When is a Legal Dietary Supplement Illegal?
Most countries have regulatory authorities like the Food and Drug Administration that monitor and establish rules around food, drugs, dietary supplements, and more. These agencies have their own complex laws and regulatory standards, and they often vary substantially. What may be a legal, unregulated ingredient in one country is a prescription drug in another, and…
Addiction Treatment Certification Nears End of Pre-Launch Phase
Later this month, LegitScript will officially begin the initial phase of our certification program for drug and alcohol addiction treatment providers. This aligns with the timing of Google’s implementation of its advertising policy around addiction services; advertisers with LegitScript certification will be able to request certification with Google starting later this month. Over the last…
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…