Dive Brief:
- The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday warned four online networks that control 21 websites to immediately stop their illegal opioid sales to U.S. customers.
- Warning letters requested responses within 10 working days from CoinRX, MedInc.biz, PharmacyAffiliates.org and PharmaMedics. The FDA is seeking specific actions they will take to address the issues raised by the agency.
- One of the biggest concerns is the sale of unapproved tramadol, which — in its approved form — carries a black box warning for significant risk of serious or even life-threatening adverse effects.
Dive Insight:
Illegaly-sold opioids are one more contributing factor to the ongoing public health epidemic, adding to the already staggering levels of addiction and overdose.
"Cutting off this flow of illicit internet traffic in opioids is critical," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement, "and we'll continue to pursue all means of enforcement to hinder online drug dealers and curb this dangerous practice."
This summer alone, the FDA has sent 13 warning letters to more than 70 websites, including nine sent in June 2018.
"We have more operations underway, and additional actions planned," Gottlieb said. "We are also working closely with legitimate Internet stakeholders, including leading social media sites, in these public health efforts."
The new steps are only part of the FDA's wider movement to combat the opioid crisis by doubling down on illegal websites.
In June, the FDA hosted an Online Opioid Summit that brought together internet stakeholders, government, academia and advocates to develop collaborative actions to reduce the availability of illicit opioids online. The internet heavyweights included major companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon, among others.
The FDA also supports the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' 5-Point Strategy To Combat the Opioid Crisis, which includes efforts to crack down on internet traffic in illicit drugs.