Pharmatheke websites are considered “rogue” for several reasons. They sell prescription medications without a prescription; they almost certainly do not have a pharmacy license in each jurisdiction they ship to; and they sell unapproved and unregulated drugs. Doing business in Japan means they are adding to their reach globally, and entering the Japanese market is particularly troubling because online sales of prescription drugs in Japan is illegal.

Pharmatheke has been known to branch out to other parts of Europe and Scandinavia — with websites displaying Italian, Spanish and Finnish content — but as far as we know, this is the first time it has opened a store for Japanese customers. (It’s clear from the content of genericcialis-japan.com that Japanese is not the website operator’s native language.) We will continue to watch for more developments in Japan from this European rogue Internet pharmacy network.

主にドイツをターゲットとする不正オンライン薬局ネットワークであるPharmatheke（ファーマシーク）は、日本にも進出し始めました。Pharmathekeは世界中に向けて何百もの不正オンライン薬局を運営しています。４月に登録されたgenericcialis-japan.comは、日本人に対し、ED薬のシアリスの未承認のジェネリック版「シアリスストリップ」などを販売しています。「シアリスストリップ」や「シアリスソフトタブ」という商品は、シアリスの製造元では製造、販売されておらず、全て偽造品です。

Pharmathekeは「不正」なネットワークです。処方箋医薬品を処方箋なしで販売し、販売する先の地域の薬局許可を持っていません。また、未承認、無規制の医薬品を販売しています。日本に進出したという事は、このネットワークは世界進出を行っているという事でしょう。日本では、処方箋医薬品のインターネット上での販売は違法です。

Pharmathekeはイタリア語、スペイン語、フィンランド語のウェブサイトを展開し、ヨーロッパや北欧に活動を広げていますが、日本人に向けたウェブサイトは初めて確認されました。 genericcialis-japan.comの日本語は不自然な部分がある事から、このウェブサイトの運営者は日本人ではないでしょう。レジットスクリプトはこのヨーロッパの不正オンラインネットワークの日本での活動の監視を続けていきます。

What’s more, the rogue Internet pharmacy networks that use GMO Internet for registration services are among the most prevalent in the Japanese market: BestKusuri (aka BestKenko) and Roy Union Limited together account for more than 43% of the rogue Internet pharmacies whose domain names are registered with GMO Internet. The domain name registrar is used for 51% of BestKusuri’s websites and more than 66% of Roy Union Limited’s websites. For more information about these two criminal networks, please see our recent study on rogue Internet pharmacies targeting Japanese customers.

LegitScript continues to urge the registrars on the list below to suspend and lock the illegal Internet pharmacies using their platforms. The Top 10 rogue registrars for May are:

1. TodayNIC

2. BizCN

3. Joker.com

4. Momentous Group/Rebel.com

5. Tucows

6. WebNIC.cc

7. GMO Internet Inc./Onamae

8. Dattatec

9. IPMirror

10. Paknic

• What is the prevalence of rogue Internet pharmacy websites in Japanese language search results?
• Of the search results that lead to rogue Internet pharamcy websites, which criminal networks are the most commonly represented?

—> Download the study (English version) and data. Or download the Japanese version.

Our report first recaps the state of Internet pharmacy laws in Japan. Unless offering a limited range of over-the-counter drugs, online sale of prescription drugs is currently illegal in Japan. (A recent Supreme Court decision appears likely to result in the legalization of most or all OTC sales online, but not prescription drugs.) Like other countries, pharmacies must be licensed; drugs must be approved; and a prescription must be issued by a licensed physician who has physically examined the patient.

As a general rule, prescription drug importation to the patient is also illegal. There is a very narrow exception that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has implemented; this can be found at mhlw.go.jp/kinkyu/diet/tuuchi/0828-4.html. As we explain in the report, rogue Internet pharmacy operators sometimes point to the existence of this “guidance” from the MHLW to tell domain name registrars, banks and the public that prescription drug importation into Japan is legal, and Internet pharmacies from abroad can thus operate unrestricted.

The problem is, that’s not what Japanese law says. And — as our study shows — the exception is so narrow that it is virtually impossible for an Internet pharmacy to comply with the exception: Our study found that only 0.1% of websites selling prescription drugs to Japanese residents — indeed, only one website out of 2,345 — complied with the MHLW’s guidance. The remainder blatantly ignored it.

The State of the Japanese Internet Drug Market

This graphic from the MHLW, which was translated by LegitScript into English, highlights in yellow prohibited activity:

Untangling the graphic above, first note that Article 68 of Japan’s Pharmaceutical Law prohibits the advertisement of unapproved drugs. (For example, a 100 mg Viagra tablet, even if genuine, cannot be advertised, because only 50 mg and 25 mg dosages are approved in Japan.) What’s more, the seller of the drugs cannot advertise unapproved drugs to the general public — in Japanese, cannot kibo wo tsunoru  (translated literally, cannot “stoke the hopes [interest]” of potential customers). And, the merchant can only be a facilitator or “agent” and cannot be the one physically distributing the drugs themselves. Rather, they must be a “passive third party” who merely provides a mechanism for the customer to contact the pharmacy or other entity supplying prescription drugs (and not the reverse).

Unpacking the Data

In LegitScript’s 2013 study, we reviewed 2,345 search results for drug and pharmacy-related search terms such as “Lipitor mail order” and “Lexapro importation agency.” We were interested in looking at the percentage of those search results that exist for the purpose of dispensing prescription drugs either online or offline, and of those that were online, how many actually comply with the extremely narrow guidance issued by the MHLW.

Of the 2,345 search results, 1,553, or 66%, exist for the purpose of dispensing prescription drugs, either online or offline. (“Offline” dispensing refers to legally operating clinics physically located in Japan, for example.) The remainder were informational or fell into a neutral category — for example, informational medical pages, personal blogs or Internet user forums.

Of these 1,553 search results, rogue Internet pharmacies that fail to comply with Japanese laws and regulations — including failing to comply with the personal prescription drug importation agent exception — accounted for 1,454 search results. Another 55 were clinics operating (insofar as we know) lawfully that do not dispense prescription drugs online, but merely advertise their location and the services they offer to walk-in patients. Drug manufacturers accounted for another 34 search results, and websites selling over-the-counter drugs only — some of them are still unlawful as of this writing, but in the process of being liberalized as per a Japanese Supreme Court decision — accounted for eight websites.

Discouragingly, among all of these results, only one website representing two separate search results might be considered to adhere to the passive personal importation exception, because it did not show the unapproved drug names and prices on the top page; rather, customers had to type part of the drug name for any information at all to be displayed. In other words, only 0.1% of Japanese-language search results for websites that sell prescription drugs adhere to the very restrictive prescription drug importation guidance issued by the MHLW. The rest violate Japanese laws and regulations.

Main Rogue Internet Pharmacy Networks

We also took a look at the major rogue Internet pharmacy networks targeting Japan. We found that 44% of the rogue Internet pharmacy search results were attributable to three rogue Internet pharmacy networks:

1. The BestKusuri (aka BestKenko) network. BestKusuri (now doing business as BestKenko) websites accounted for 419 out of the 2,345 search results. To put this in perspective, compare this number to the fact that all clinic websites and all pharmaceutical companies’ websites combined only reached 89 in number. In other words, BestKusuri’s websites alone outweigh the number of legitimate websites in total in Japanese prescription drug-related search results by nearly a factor of five. LegitScript has previously written about the BestKusuri/BestKenko network.
2. Roy Union rogue Internet pharmacy network. Roy Union is a rogue Internet pharmacy network that appears to be operating out of China. The websites accounted for 183 of the websites in our search results. This is less than half of those that were related to BestKusuri/BestKenko, but still more than double the number of all the legitimate clinic and pharmaceutical company websites combined. We have also previously written about the Roy Union network.
3. RxCash.biz. RxCash.biz is a multinational criminal enterprise headquartered in Israel that targets the US, European Union nations, Japan and other regions including the Middle East. RxCash.biz websites worldwide have consistently sold prescription drugs, including controlled substances, without a prescription. The drugs are unapproved and in some cases are reputed to be counterfeits. Examples of websites in this network include i-kusuri.jp and kenkostore.org.

It is important for the Japanese public to be aware that the websites that are selling prescription drugs to Japanese residents are not legitimate, licensed pharmacies in another country that happen to make a few (or a lot) of sales to Japanese residents, but are otherwise nothing more than a friendly neighborhood pharmacy or a trusted chain drug store selling drugs approved by the US FDA or another drug safety agency. Rather, these are multinational criminal networks operating outside of any regulatory safety controls, not unlike ronin samurai of ancient Japan who served no master and existed within no recognized social structure.

Click here to read this blog in Japanese.

• 日本語の検索結果に現れる不正オンライン薬局の実態。
• 検索結果に現れる不正オンライン薬局ウェブサイトは、どんな犯罪ネットワークに属しているのか。

—>英語の調査報告書とデータのダウンロードはこちらから。日本語の調査報告書のダウンロードはこちらから。

調査報告書の前半では、日本のオンライン薬局に関する法規をまとめました。OTC医薬品の一部を除いては、日本では処方箋医薬品を販売するオンライン薬局は違法です。（最近の最高裁の判決により、OTCのオンライン販売は合法になる方向にありますが、処方箋医薬品のオンライン販売は違法です。）他の国と同様、日本で薬局を開設するためには薬局許可が必要です。薬局で販売される医薬品は承認を受けていなければなりません。また、処方箋は医師免許を持った医師が直接診察をして発行しなければなりません。

基本的に、処方箋医薬品を輸入する事は違法です。厚生労働省は非常に狭い範囲での個人輸入を認めています（mhlw.go.jp/kinkyu/diet/tuuchi/0828-4.html）調査報告書でも述べたように、不正オンライン薬局は、レジストラ、銀行、また、一般市民に対して、 この厚生労働省の文書を用い、「日本では処方箋医薬品の輸入は認められており、オンライン薬局の経営は合法である」と説明する事がよく見られます。

問題は、日本の法規はそう定義しているのではない事です。我々の調査で示されたように、この個人輸入の規則は狭く、この規則に従っているオンライン薬局はごく一部に限られています。2,345件の検索結果中、たった１つのウェブサイト、0.1％だけが厚生労働省の規則に従っています。その他は厚生労働省の規則に全く従っていませんでした。

日本におけるオンライン薬局市場

以下の図は、厚生労働省のホームページに記載してあるものです。 

日本の薬事法68条は、未承認医薬品の広告を禁じています。（例えば、日本ではバイアグラは25mgと50mgしか承認されていないため、バイアグラ100mgは純正品であったとしても、広告をする事は禁じられています。）不特定多数に未承認薬の輸入の「希望を募る」行為は禁じられています。業者は「代行」する事のみ可能であり、自ら医薬品を発送する事はできません。顧客が処方箋医薬品を配給する薬局などに連絡を取る手助けをする「受動的な第三者」としての営業のみ可能です。その逆の行為、つまり業者から顧客に購入を促す事はできません。

データの分析

レジットスクリプトのこの2013年の調査では、「リピトール　通販」や「レクサプロ　輸入代行」など、医薬品と薬局関係の検索語に対しての検索結果、2,345件を分析しました。処方箋医薬品の販売を目的とするウェブサイトのうち、厚生労働省のガイドラインに従っている割合を調べました。

2,345件の検索結果のうちの66％である1,553件が、処方箋医薬品の販売、または販売を促す事を目的とするウェブサイト、つまりオンライン薬局、または医院や製薬会社のウェブサイトでした。残りは情報サイト、個人のブログ、掲示板などの中立な立場のウェブサイトでした。

処方箋医薬品の販売、または販売を促す結果を出した1,553件のうち、1,454件は日本の法規に従わず、個人輸入代行業の規則にも従っていない不正オンライン薬局でした。その他の55件は医院のウェブサイトであり、オンライン販売は行っておらず、来院の患者に対しての処方のみです。ウェブサイトであり、オンライン販売は行っておらず、来院の患者に対しての処方のみです。34は製薬会社のウェブサイトであり、8はOTCのみを販売するウェブサイトでした。OTCを販売するウェブサイトの中には現在の時点で完全に合法だとは言えないものも含まれますが、最近の最高裁の判決により近いうちにOTCのネット販売の緩和が進むと予想される為、問題はないと判断しました。

処方箋医薬品をオンラインで販売していた検索結果のうち、「個人輸入代行業者」である可能性があったウェブサイトは、たった１つでした。これはトップページに未承認医薬品の名前や値段が記載されておらず、医薬品名や値段を見る為には、顧客が薬の名前の一部を入力しなければならなかった為です。日本語の処方箋医薬品に関する検索結果のうち、厚生労働省の処方箋医薬品の輸入に従っていると考えられたのは、たったの0.1%だけでした。それ以外は全て日本の法規に違反していました。

主な不正オンライン薬局ネットワーク

日本をターゲットとする主な不正オンライン薬局ネットワークについての調査も行いました。検索結果に現れた44％の不正オンライン薬局ウェブサイトは、以下の３つの不正オンライン薬局ネットワークのものでした。

1. ベストくすり (別名 ベストケンコー) ネットワークベストくすりは、現在はベストケンコーとして営業しており、 2,345のうちの 419を占めました。正当な結果である医院と製薬会社の検索結果の総数は、たった89だった事を見れば、このネットワークの大きさが分かるでしょう。言い換えれば、日本語の処方薬のインターネット検索において、ベストくすりのウェブサイトだけでも、正当な結果の５倍近くとなっています。 ベストくすり/ベストケンコーのネットワークについては、レジットスクリプトの過去のブログ記事 をご覧下さい。
2. ロイユニオン不正薬局ネットワーク ロイユニオンは中国から運営されていると考えられる不正薬局ネットワークです。 このネットワークの検索結果は183に及びました。これはベストくすり（ベストケンコー）の半分以下でしたが、それでも正当な医院や製薬会社などの全ての正当なウェブサイトの合計の倍以上の数になります。 ロイユニオンに関しては過去のブログ記事 を参照して下さい。
3. RxCash.biz　RxCash.bizは、イスラエルに拠点を置く多国籍犯罪集団であり、アメリカ、ヨーロッパ、日本、中東などをターゲットにしています。RxCash.bizは世界中で規制薬物を含む処方箋医薬品を、処方箋なしで販売しています。医薬品は承認されておらず、偽造品と考えられます。このネットワークのウェブサイトには、i-kusuri.jp や kenkostore.orgがあります。

日本人が知っておくべき重大な事実があります。それは、日本国民に向けて処方箋医薬品を売るウェブサイトは、「正当な薬局」、つまり、FDA（米国食品医薬品局）などの機関に認証を受けたアメリカアメリカの実店舗を持つ薬局やドラッグストアが、日本に向けて少し販売をしているという訳ではありません。実際には、 主もなく、社会構造にも属さない日本の昔の「浪人サムライ」 のように、多国籍犯罪ネットワークが、何の安全管理もなく運営しているのです。

この記事の英語版はこちらから

Clay Products

The medicinal clay dietary supplements listed below pose risks because of high levels of lead and arsenic. These supplements, marketed as able to aid in digestion and absorb toxins, are also often promoted as a daily treatment for pregnancy-induced nausea and varicose veins. The United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency recently issued a new warning about clay, emphasizing that excessive lead can be detrimental to fetal brain development and advising pregnant women against using “detox” clay supplements.

LegitScript does not recommend that any consumer use, or that Internet platforms carry, the following: Calcium Bentonite Clay, French Green Montmorillonite Clay, Edible Earth, Argiletz Superfine Green Clay, Green Clay, Sikor and Shikor Mati, among others. (Specific information about each product listed can be found by clicking on the name.) Proponents of ingestible clay and those who might have purchased medicinal clay products can search for the specific brands here.

New DMAA Products

Two new products containing DMAA — a banned supplement ingredient that has been blamed for the deaths of several users — also have been added to our database: Thermo Gold and Methyl Surge Black.

New Tainted Weight Loss Supplements

Another batch of products containing sibutramine — a prescription drug that was withdrawn from the market in 2010 because of safety concerns — are also new to our database; they include Lipo 8, Fat Buster Extra Strength, Slimmer Advanced, Slim Buster X and Body Tailor.

New Erectile Dysfunction Products

Undeclared sildenafil or tadalafil — the active pharmaceutical ingredients in erectile dysfunction medications — showed up in products such as Zoom-Zooma-Zoom, Sex Plus, Long-Power, Libigold, Levitrex, Man Power 365 and Rhino51. Several of these products were identified by the Korea Food and Drug Administration as tainted supplements. US consumers can read more about other sexual enhancement products that contain hidden drug ingredients on the FDA website.

When it comes to Internet pharmacy regulations, like most other things, Mainland China and Hong Kong currently operate under a “one country, two systems” philosophy. This means mainland China and Hong Kong have very different laws and government systems.

China Food and Drug Administration (formerly State Food and Drug Administration) is the authority organization of mainland China. All medicines and dietary supplements that are sold in China must be registered with CFDA, and  websites that sell medicines must be registered with CFDA as well.

As for Hong Kong, the authority organization is the Drug Office of the Department of Health. All medicines that are sold in Hong Kong must be registered with Drug Office of the Department of Health. The registration number is required to be printed on the product packaging.

How are drugs classified in mainland China?

Drugs are classified as:

(1) Controlled substances:

• Controlled Narcotic Drugs (require special prescriptions by special licensed doctors)
• Controlled Psychotropic Drugs (require special prescriptions by special licensed doctors)

(2) RX/Prescription Only Medicine

(3) OTC Medicine:

• Category A OTC (red logo), can be sold in pharmacies or hospitals
• Category B OTC (green logo), can be sold in retails stores, pharmacies or hospitals.

(4) Cross-over medicine: Some medicines can be either OTC or prescription depending on whether the patient needs to take it short-term or long-term. Example: Aspirin is an OTC medicine, but doctors will prescribe it if the patient needs it for long-term use.

How are drugs classified in Hong Kong?

(1) Rx/Prescription Only Medicine:

• Western Rx Medicine
• Chinese Traditional Rx Medicine

(2) OTC Medicine:

• Non-poison, can be sold in retail stores.
• Category II Poison, can be sold in pharmacies.
• Category I Poison, can be sold in pharmacies under pharmacist supervision.

According to the Drug Office of the Department of Health, “the word ‘poison’ serves as a warning to consumers as using incorrect dosage or improper use of these medicines may cause serious health damage.” These medicines should be taken only on the advice or instruction of a healthcare professional. Details of non-poison drugs can be found here.

Are online pharmacies allowed in China?

For mainland China, only OTC medicines are allowed to be sold online.

For Hong Kong, only OTC (non-poison) medicines are allowed to be sold online.

What is permitted and prohibited for online pharmacies operated in China?

In mainland China, only over-the-counter (OTC) medicines can be sold online. It is OK for CFDA-registered online OTC pharmacies to display prescription drugs on their websites, but they cannot sell them via the Internet.

Registered OTC medicines and dietary supplements are required to have a corresponding logo on the product packaging (outlined below). The CFDA database provides a full list of registered medicines, dietary supplement and registered online OTC pharmacies.

In Hong Kong, pharmaceutical products are divided by Western medicines (registration number “HK-xxxxx”) and Chinese traditional medicines (registration number “HKC-xxxxx”).

• Western pharmaceutical product registration can be searched here.
• Chinese traditional medicine registration can be searched here.
• Registered pharmacy/drugstore registration can be searched here.

What are the pharmacy license requirements for online pharmacies?

For mainland China, all OTC pharmacies must register with CFDA and display their certification on their website. (See image below.) LegitScript has discovered that some of the rogue Internet pharmacies in China display fake CFDA certificates. If you are thinking about ordering drugs online and are in China, please be sure to check the Internet pharmacy’s domain name and the registration number on the certificate against the CFDA database to confirm the pharmacy’s legitimacy.

For Hong Kong China, a Listed Seller of Poisons (LSP) license is required to sell non-poison OTC medicines.

What are the China-specific rules that consumers should know about?

For mainland China, all dietary supplements and medicines being sold also must be registered with CFDA. Each product should have a registration number. Please check the CFDA database for the product legitimacy before purchasing.

For Hong Kong, all medicines being sold must register with Drug Office of the Department of Health. Each product should have a registration number. Please check Drug Office of the Department of Health database for the product legitimacy before purchasing.

What are some of the hallmarks of a Chinese rogue pharmacy website? 

So far, LegitScript has identified a number of Chinese rogue Internet pharmacies, such as ok099.com and 0451nj.com. The majority of them focus on selling one product and accept payment upon delivery.

What are some other examples of problematic pharmaceutical products that are sold online in China?

Psychoactive high products are often seen on Chinese rogue pharmacy websites, along with descriptions on how to use these drugs for criminal purposes. One example is mmiyao8.com. This rogue Internet pharmacy sells Triazolam, which is a prescription-only medicine in mainland China. This website is also selling a large selection of products that claim to be Ecstasy drugs, such as Ecstasy liquid, and states, “Once it takes effect on the other person, he/she will be controlled and do whatever you say … .” LegitScript recommends that consumers stay away from these types of websites.

目前中国大陆和香港特别行政区对于网络药房的管理政策实行“一国两制“的方案。也就是说中国大陆和香港特别行政区有着不同的法律体制和政府机构。

国家食品药品监督管理总局是中国大陆在食品和药品方面的权威机构。所有在中国大陆出售的药品以及保健品都必须与国家食品药品监督管理总局注册。所有出售药品的网站也必须与国家食品药品监督管理总局注册。

卫生署药物办公室是中国香港特别行政区在食品和药品方面的权威机构。所有在香港出售的药品都必须与卫生署药物办公室注册。药品的包装必须印有香港的注册号。

中国大陆的药品是如何分类的？

药品的分类有以下几种：

1）受国家监管的药物：

• 麻醉药品（只有获得麻醉药品的执业医师才能开具处方）
• 精神药品（只有获得第一类精神药品处方资格的执业医师才能开具第一类精神药品处方）

2）处方药

3）非处方药

• 甲类非处方药 （红色标签），可以在医院和药房出售
• 乙类非处方药 （绿色标签），除了可以在医院和药房出售以外，也可以零售。

4） 双跨药： 一些药品即可以是非处方药，也可以是处方药，取决于病人是长期或短期服用。比如：阿司匹林是非处方药，但是如果病人需要长期服用此药，也可以被医生开具成处方药。

香港特别行政区的药品是如何分类的？

1）处方药

• 西药处方药。
• 中药处方药。

2） 非处方药

• 非毒药，可以零售。
• 第II部毒药可于药房或药行出售。
• 第I部毒药可于药剂师在场监督下于药房出售。

卫生署药物办公室表示标示「毒药」的字眼可对消费者们起警告作用，因使用不正确的剂量或错误使用此类药物可对健康造成严重损害。非毒药的具体信息可以在这里查到。

中国允许网络药房吗？

在中国大陆，只有非处方药可以在网上出售。

在香港，只有非毒药和第II部毒药可以在网上出售。

对于中国网络药房，什么是合法的，什么是非法的？

在中国大陆，只有非处方药可以在网上出售。由互联网药品交易资格证的药房可以在其网站上展示处方药，但是不可以以网络的形式出售处方药。

注册的非处方药和保健品都必须在产品包装上印有相映的表示（见下图）。国家食品药品监督管理总局的数据库提供所有的药品，保健品，以及合法注册的互联网药房名单。

在香港，医剂制品分成西药（注册号”HK-xxxxx”) 和中药 （注册号”HKC-xxxxx”).

• 西药的产品注册可以在这里查询。

• 中药的产品注册可以在这里查询。

• 注册药房／药行的信息可以在这里查询。

互联网药房所需的证书有哪些？

在大陆，互联网药房必须与国家食品药品监督管理总局注册并将其互联网药品交易服务资格证书放在网站显著的位置（见下图为例）。理基公司发现一些非法网络药房展示假冒的互联网药品交易服务资格证书。 如果你考虑从网上订购药品，请务必去国家食品药品监督管理总局的数据库查询该网站的域名和注册号是否真实。

在香港，持有毒药销售商牌照的药房可以出售非毒药和第II部毒药。

中国消费者应该知道哪些条例？

在中国大陆，所有出售的药品以及保健品都必须与国家食品药品监督管理总局注册。每个这册产品都有注册号。请在购买前务必去国家食品药品监督管理总局的数据库查实产品的真实性。

在香港，所有出售的药品都必须与卫生署药物办公室注册。 每个这册产品都有注册号。请在购买前务必去卫生署药物办公室数据库查实产品的真实性。

中国非法网络药房的特点有哪些？

目前为止，理基公司鉴定了一批非法的网络药房，比如 ok099.com 和  0451nj.com。 大多数的非法网络药房都采取货到付款的形式进行交易。

其他还有哪些有问题的药剂产品在中国互联网商出售？

毒品在中国的网络药房上也经常可见，网站上通常会对这些毒品掺有犯罪意图的说明。比如 mmiyao8.com ，这个非法的网络药房销售三唑仑，是国家一级精神药品。网站上还销售多种迷魂药，迷魂液，更加说明”中招后，对方思维受别人控制言听计从、百依百顺，叫做什么都可以，叫说什么都可以 … ” 理基公司奉劝消费者远离这种网站。

Sarah Houston, a British medical student who had been battling bulimia, began taking DNP along with an antidepressant, and though it’s unclear how long she had been using DNP, a forensic toxicologist said it might have accumulated in her system. (An investigation showed that Houston had ingested 38 capsules containing DNP from a packet of 100.)

Coroner David Hinchliff, speaking at an inquest this week about Houston’s death, put the blame “entirely at the door of DNP” and said he hopes the tragedy leads to a campaign to outlaw sales of DNP in pill form. “Anyone who professionally manufactures capsules to be taken as a drug have the intention of people using it as a drug. Sarah’s death is a consequence of that,” Hinchliff said.

In November, the UK’s Food Standards Agency issued a warning about the “fat-burner” capsules, advising the public not to use any product labeled as containing DNP or 2, 4 Dinitrophenol, as the product is also known. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved DNP for human consumption; in fact, the numerous deaths and serious adverse reactions from the use of DNP in the 1930s were among the reasons Congress enacted the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act in 1938.

Police think the DNP that Houston obtained was imported from Spain, though it’s not clear whether she purchased it over the Internet, which is a major source of the pills. Websites that sell DNP and market it as being able to dramatically speed up the metabolism are, unfortunately, relatively easy to find; these are online stores that sometimes also illegally sell other unapproved bodybuilding supplements and anabolic steroids. But a poisonous chemical used in pesticides has no business being manufactured and sold for weight loss purposes. Houston’s family expressed their concerns about the chemical continuing to be available on the market. “Whilst the FSA has banned it from human consumption, its risks are not widely known and it does not seem to affect the ease at which it can be bought from the Internet,” the family said in a statement. “It seems incomprehensible to us that such a toxic substance can be available in tablet form to be sold in the UK for human consumption across the Internet.”

The dangers of DNP should be taken seriously by both the public and by law enforcement, and a crackdown on the manufacturers and online purveyors of these and other deadly “slimming pills” should occur before they can do more harm.

The rogue Internet pharmacy networks most often seen among the current Top 10 rogue registrars are Rx-Partners, RxPayouts, RxProfits and Asian Capital Equities. This month we note a shift in the latter network to two relatively new registrars on our list: Argentina-based Dattatec and Singapore’s IPMirror, which both had enough rogue Internet pharmacies using their services to push them into the Top 10 in March. Together, Dattatec and IPMirror provide the registration services for 67 percent of websites in the Asian Capital Equities network. These two registrars appear to be an alternative for websites in this network that were shut down by eNom, one of the leading responsible registrars that do not allow illegal pharmacy websites to use their services. If both of these registrars followed suit and suspended the domain names of the more than 100 rogue Internet pharmacies that are currently on their registration platform, it would make a sizable dent in the network. And if, for example, Dattatec shut down the Asian Capital Equities anchor website mypaymenthub.com, many of the pharmacy websites in the network could be rendered dysfunctional. We continue to ask that these registrars suspend and lock the domain names of illegal Internet pharmacies — and the websites that provide key services like payment processing — to keep them from potentially harming Internet users.

The current Top 10 list of rogue registrars follows:

1. TodayNIC

2. BizCN

3. Joker.com

4. Momentous Group/Rebel.com

5. WebNIC.cc

6. Tucows

7. Dattatec

8. IPMirror

9. GMO Internet Inc./Onamae

10. Paknic

That is well and good when a GPhC-certified Internet pharmacy dispenses drugs to UK residents. But the GPhC’s ability to regulate safe pharmacy practice and insist on authentic drug distribution stops at the UK’s borders — that is, when both the dispensing pharmacy and customer are actually in the UK. That’s why it’s troublesome to see GPhC-registered pharmacies flout the law by lending their UK credential to websites that target US, not UK, customers.

One example is prescriptiondrugs4u.com, a website that piggy-backs on the GPhC registration for Primary Care Pharmacy, whose GPhC registration does not disclose the use of an Internet pharmacy logo. Based on news releases that littered the Internet this spring, the website primarily targets the US. It’s also apparent from the website itself: the default shipping option and currency are for the US; the promotional video on the home page relies upon US data; and it provides a US toll-free number. Moreover, the news releases puff up the online pharmacy as a safer and less expensive option than other (namely, faux-Canadian) websites, using what Americans might have heard about the perils and possible scams of Canadian pharmacies in hopes of attracting more business. The posts in this section mention Obamacare and warn about Thai and Canadian pharmacies — which the website says US customers should avoid, in favor of “our UK-based online pharmacy.”

But are the drugs really shipped from the licensed UK pharmacies? Maybe. The problem is, licensed Canadian, UK and New Zealand Internet pharmacy websites have a sordid history of marketing themselves to US customers, letting US residents believe that they are shipping drugs from pharmacies in the country where the pharmacy is registered, like Canada or the UK, when in fact the order is diverted to a less safe country like India, Turkey (and often that’s just the free trade zone), United Arab Emirates (again, the free trade zone) or Singapore. Often, the entity actually shipping the drugs isn’t even a pharmacy.

In other words, the safety concerns don’t exist because it would be unsafe to walk into a UK pharmacy to get your prescription filled; rather, safety concerns exist because GPhC’s jurisdiction to regulate the Internet pharmacy website’s activity, and ensure that the drugs are really sent by the UK pharmacy, is reduced when the drugs are not shipped to a UK resident, and even more so if the origin of the drugs isn’t actually the UK pharmacy. Because prescriptiondrugs4u.com isn’t a licensed pharmacy in the US, it doesn’t comply with the drug safety and pharmacy licensure requirements of its target market.

So who is behind prescriptiondrugs4u.com?

On the one hand, Primary Care Pharmacy is the pharmacy identified on the website, and it seems likely that Fountain Square Pharmacy Ltd. in Derbyshire (see GPhC registration here) may also be affiliated. WHOIS information for prescriptiondrugs4u.com lists “PrescriptionDrugs4u Ltd” as the current registrant, with Chris Wilson of Staffordshire as the administrative and technical contact. In previous WHOIS records for the domain name, the registrant was Fountain Square Pharmacy Ltd., a company for which Wilson is listed as director. (Wilson also is the director of Prescriptiondrugs4u Ltd., the Staffordshire address of which appears on the WHOIS record for prescriptiondrugs4u.com.)

But it appears there is also a US connection –– not in terms of orders being filled by a licensed US pharmacy, but rather someone from inside the US is likely helping to run the Internet business itself. The website’s customers are directed to transfer payment to RBS Citizens Bank in Boston, Massachusetts, and the business provides a US office address of 201 East Main Street in Maple Shade, New Jersey — the location of a chiropractor and answering service/call center.

The Internet pharmacy prescriptiondrugs4u.com operates illegally: it targets US residents without a valid pharmacy license in the US, and the drugs, being illegally imported, are not considered FDA-approved. Troublingly, in social media, news releases and on its website, prescriptiondrugs4u.com seizes on American patients’ concerns about doing business with foreign online drug sellers that fail to comply with drug safety rules, diverting attention from the fact that it’s engaged in precisely the same sort of legal violation and unsafe activity.

At the heart of prescriptiondrugs4u.com‘s marketing strategy, of course, is its ability to rely upon the GPhC seal of approval to convince Americans that the website is a safe, legal Internet pharmacy. But that’s not what the GPhC program is meant for — and indeed, the GPhC cannot ensure that Internet pharmacies shipping drugs to the US are safe or genuine. To prevent this sort of misuse of its certification program, GPhC should ask Primary Care Pharmacy for information about the number of orders it has shipped into the US on behalf of the website, as well as for documentation about its business relationship with the website operator. Even more so, the GPhC should require that pharmacies making use of the GPhC seal target only customers in the GPhC’s jurisdiction — or face disciplinary action.