ASOP Global Welcomes Opportunity to Work with HHS Secretary Becerra
Offers support in efforts to protect consumers from unregulated online pharmacies
WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 18, 2021– Today, the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global) issued the following statement in response to the United States Senate’s confirmation of Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra:
ASOP Global welcomes the opportunity to work with Secretary Xavier Becerra and the Biden Administration during a critical flashpoint in our nation’s history at the intersection of internet accountability, public health crises, and drug safety.
At any given time, 95 percent of the roughly 35,000 online pharmacies worldwide operate illegally, selling medicines without a prescription and peddling fake and dangerous medicinal alternatives in violation of state and federal law as well as pharmacy practice standards. The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing opioid crisis have combined to exacerbate this problem exponentially, as online criminals prey on consumers to the tune of $200 billion annually.
ASOP Global has led the charge to protect American consumers from this growing public health threat by advocating for policies that put online patient safety first, including:
- Protecting U.S. supply chain security by opposing drug importation schemes that aren’t safe, don’t save money, and won’t work – starting with rescinding Trump’s politically driven Importation of Prescription Drugs Final Rule
- Increasing internet accountability through targeted reforms to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, including passing the bipartisan See Something Say Something Online Act
- Safeguarding online transparency by restoring access to accurate WHOIS data
- Stopping domain name registries and registrars from facilitating online crime by requiring them to lock and suspend suspicious sites
U.S. policy has thus far failed to protect Americans from illicit and unregulated internet drug sellers who profit at the expense of consumers, but Secretary Becerra will have the opportunity to work with a bipartisan congressional cohort to achieve lasting change and protect American consumers.
ASOP Global hopes that Secretary Becerra will be an effective steward of the Department of Health and Human Services and stands ready to work with him and serve as a resource in the fight to protect American lives from predatory online drug sellers.
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The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global), a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. with activities in U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia, is dedicated to protecting consumers around the world, ensuring safe access to medications, and combating illegal online drug sellers.