FDA Joins Interpol in Crackdown on Illegal Online Distributors

The FDA teamed up with international regulators and law enforcement agencies to target illegal online distributors that sold unapproved versions of opioid, antiviral and oncology drugs to the U.S.

Operation Pangea XI, the eleventh annual global effort spearheaded by Interpol, targeted a total of 465 websites operated by seven different networks, all of whom received FDA warning letters for selling misbranded and unapproved drugs to U.S. customers.

TeraPharm, an online distribution network, was warned for marketing its unapproved Fempro product as a breast cancer treatment for post-menopausal women, while Discount Pharmacy came under fire for offering oxycodone marketed as Oxicalmans for “moderate to severe pain.” The distributors were linked to dozens of websites that offered the illegal products.