WASHINGTON – September 10, 2020 – In response to warning letters issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to 17 website operators advertising and selling illegal, unapproved and misbranded opioids online, the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global), issued the following statement:

ASOP Global commends the FDA and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, for continued efforts demonstrating the prioritization of public health and patient safety online.

This latest action builds on the FDA’s ongoing commitment to combatting the crisis, as demonstrated by Online Opioid Summits in June 2018 and April 2019 and a joint pilot program with National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced in June to help stop the illegal sale of opioids online.

ASOP Global fully supports the commitment demonstrated by Office of Compliance Director Donald Ashley and the emphasis that he and his colleagues have placed on addressing the opioid epidemic and leveraging the necessary tools to combat criminals online.

The FDA’s swift and decisive crackdown on these bad actors is another important step toward curbing access to deadly opioids and other illicit narcotics online. Still, more needs to be done to stop anonymous domain name registries and registrars from putting patient health and safety at risk – and profiting from it.

ASOP encourages Congress and the Administration to adopt policies that would require registries and registrars to lock and suspend domain names that facilitate illegal online drug sales and fuel the opioid epidemic.

Please visit ASOP’s website for additional information on internet accountability.

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ABOUT ASOP GLOBAL

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.