The commission's action comes at a time when medical products are increasingly being sold in unconventional ways online. The company said it plants to auction off blood products, vaccines, hormones and syringes to the highest bidder. The new auction site, which was hailed by medical professionals as a cheap new way to stock their shelves, is just the latest twist in the online medical products phenomenon, which follows the glut of medical advice available online. The way you make your site economically viable is to sell people something. The sale of medical products online is a double-edged sword.
Legitimate vendors can use the Web to deliver products cheaply.
But illegitimate outfits can just as easily use the Internet to hawk wonder drugs and miracle cures to unsuspecting consumers. Millenson and others warn that the global nature of the Internet makes it tough for government regulators such as the FDA to police online medical sales. The FDA warns consumers to ask their doctors and pharmacists about online medical products before they buy. Today's announcement was the second in as many weeks that involved fraudulent sales of HIV test kits. On November 17, the commission announced the settlement of charges involving Cyberlinx Marketing, Inc. of Las Vegas, Nevada.