Though regulating internet sales of health products is still fairly new, FDA has successfully taken action in the past against illegal sites. For example, a California company called Lei-Home Access Care in 1996 and 1997 used the Internet to sell a home kit advertised as a blood test for the AIDS virus. Not only was the kit unapproved, but the maker also fabricated test results to users who submitted a drop of blood. After an extensive FDA investigation, the site was shut down, and its operator, Lawrence Greene, was sentenced to more than five years in prison. Over two years, the program identified about 800 sites and numerous Usenet newsgroups containing questionable promotions.
Consumers now spend millions on unproven, deceptively marketed products on the Web.
As part of the program, four companies settled FTC charges of deceptive health claims. These included sites that claimed to cure arthritis with a fatty acid derived from beef tallow, to treat cancer and AIDS with a Peruvian plant derivative, and to treat cancer and high blood pressure with magnetic devices. FDA is working closely with FTC on Operation Cure. All and has taken its own regulatory actions, such as sending warning letters to help ensure that false and misleading statements are removed from the Internet. At the same time that regulatory agencies are stepping up enforcement efforts against illegal online drug sales, professional organizations are launching programs with the goal of cleaning house from within.