Google will create a $250 million internal program to “disrupt rogue online pharmacies,” as part of a deal to end shareholder litigation over its alleged placement of advertisements offering to sell prescription drugs from outside the United States, Reuters reports. Google has also agreed to make content about prescription drug abuse more visible, and to “work with legitimate pharmacies to counter marketing by rogue sellers,” according to documents filed in an Oakland, CA federal court. The original litigation stemmed from a 2011 settlement with the federal government over the issue.
Prior to the settlement, Google had taken steps to prevent the unlawful sale of prescription drugs by online pharmacies to US consumers, by requiring, as of February 2010, that online pharmacy advertisers be accredited by the VIPPS® (Verified Internet Pharmacy Practices Sites®) program. Recognizing that some legitimate websites offer only limited pharmacy services or other prescription drug-related services were not eligible for VIPPS and would not be allowed to advertise, NABP developed the NABP e-Advertiser Approval ProgramCM to accommodate these businesses. Upon the launch of the program in March 2010, Google adjusted its policy to include those sites that hold e-Advertiser status. Yahoo! and Microsoft’s Bing adopted similar policies in June 2010.
NABP is expanding its programs to protect global public health by providing a means for consumers around the world to identify safe Internet pharmacies and related resources. The Association, with the support of a global coalition of stakeholders, plans to launch the .pharmacy generic Top-Level Domain by fall 2014, and will implement policies to ensure that only legitimate website operators that adhere to pharmacy laws in the jurisdictions in which they are based and to which they sell medicine will be able to register domain names in .pharmacy. For example, a pharmacy that is licensed in another country and is selling prescription drugs to patients in the US would not be eligible for .pharmacy because it is violating US federal law that prohibits importation. The .pharmacy eligibility requirements were developed to address concerns shared by domestic and international stakeholders about illegal online drug sellers distributing products that endanger patient health worldwide. Thus, consumers around the world can be assured that Internet pharmacies using the .pharmacy domain are legitimate, safe, and ethical online sources of medication and related resources. NABP has reviewed over 10,780 Internet drug outlets and found 97% of them to be out of compliance with pharmacy laws and practice standards established in the US to protect the public health.
