WASHINGTON – September 29, 2021 – Today, the House Judiciary Committee held a markup of H.R. 5374, the “Stopping Harmful Offers on Platforms by Screening Against Fakes in E-commerce Act of 2021” or the “SHOP SAFE Act of 2021.” The Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global) supports this legislation to help protect consumers online and applauds the Committee for moving it through the process.

Around 95 percent of the over 35,000 online pharmacies worldwide operate illegally, selling medicines without a prescription and peddling dangerous counterfeit, falsified, and substandard drugs in violation of state and federal law. This is a growing problem: a recent ASOP survey found that an increasing number of Americans are purchasing medications online. Nearly half of Americans (42 percent), up 7 percent from last year, currently buy medicines online. And the same criminals selling fake drugs are also exploiting pandemic-weary consumers by selling bogus COVID-19 cures, treatments, and phony vaccine cards. By establishing trademark liability for online marketplace platforms when a third-party sells a fake product that poses a risk to consumer health and safety, the SHOP SAFE Act is an essential step toward ensuring the internet is a safe place for consumers to shop.

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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.