The Office of the United States (US) Trade Representatives, also known as USTR, said on Wednesday (January 8) that nearly all of the world's 35,000 online pharmacies were being run illegally and consumers who used them were at risk of getting ineffective or dangerous medicines. 

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In its annual report on "notorious markets," the USTR singled out 19 countries over concerns about counterfeit or pirated products.

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The report said that 96 per cent of online pharmacies were violating the law. Many of these operated without a license and sold medicines without prescriptions and safety warnings.

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'Potentially deadly synthetic opioids disguised as medicines'

The USTR report identified 38 online markets and 33 physical markets that are reported to engage in or facilitate substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy.  

The agency pointed out that the websites of these illegal online pharmacies "often look like legitimate e-commerce platforms, often with false claims that they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."

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Citing a survey, the USTR said that one in four Americans who have used online pharmacies reported having encountered substandard, fake or harmful medicines.

Click here to access the full report

The report came after federal prosecutors said on Monday that in 2024, a network of illegal drug sellers based in the US, the Dominican Republic and India had packaged potentially deadly synthetic opioids into pills disguised as common prescription drugs and sold millions of them through fake online drugstores.

The prosecutors said that at least nine people died of narcotics poisoning between August 2023 and June 2024 after consuming the counterfeit pills. 

The agency also cited mentioned risks of imported ingredients including fentanyl from China. 

(With inputs from agencies)