The problem is that she is an anorexic who has bought the drug without talking to a doctor, a pharmacist or any other type of health care provider. State and federal regulators say that the proliferation of such outlaw sites, which skirt prescribing laws and regulations, is a growing public health threat. Officials worry that these sites are putting powerful drugs into the hands of the wrong people, and they're looking for ways to shut them down. While most consumers have yet to begin purchasing prescription drugs from these sites, analysts say that physicians can expect more patients to begin asking about the pros and cons of ordering drugs online. At one end of the online pharmacy spectrum are Web sites outside the United States that illegally ship drug orders here.
Consumers simply log on and order drugs without talking to a physician or any health care provider.
These sites, which clearly violate a number of laws, stay in business by taking advantage of the Internet's lack of boundaries and regulations. Outlaw sites regularly ship orders of contaminated or subpotent drugs, as well as expired or unapproved medications and controlled substances. According to the FDA, the easy availability of such substances makes outlaw Web sites the nation's most serious online public health threat. The FDA is now working with the Federal Trade Commission, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Customs and Postal Services to try to shut such sites down. Another federal group, the Working Group on Lawful Conduct on the Internet, is setting policies on unlawful Web conduct and product sales, including prescription drugs, with a report due next month.