WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday morning outlined a framework for cracking down on illegal opioid sales on the internet. Hours later, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb delivered results: a list of nine online operators, running a combined 53 websites, to which it had sent formal warnings for having engaged in illegal marketing and sales of highly controlled opioid painkillers.
“The FDA is taking additional steps to protect U.S. consumers from illicit opioids by targeting the websites that illegally market them and other illicit drugs,” Gottlieb said in a statement. “The internet is virtually awash in illegal narcotics and we’re going to be taking new steps to work with legitimate internet firms to voluntarily crack down on these sales.”
The extent of the FDA’s direct enforcement authority is unclear, but the agency warned that companies that fail to correct violations outlined in the warning letters could have their products seized or face other legal action.
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I AM 72 YEARS OLD AND MY PAIN MANAGEMENT CUT MY OXYCODONE 30MG.FROM (1) EVERY FOR HOURS TO (1) EVERY 12 HOURS…I HAVE CHRONIC PAIN AND NOW I CANNOT GET OUT OF BED. BEFORE I RAN MY BUSINESS 8 HRS. A DAY COOKED DINNER & CLEAN EXCELLENT QUALITY OF LIFE..NOT NOW I HAVE TO STAY IN BED ..I HAVE OSTEOARTHRITIS, DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE, OSTEOPOROSIS,FIBERMYALGIA, RLS, AND ALL MY ORGANS ARE TOP NOTCH BUT PAIN IS KILLING ME,