FDA, International Organizations Shut Down 1,677 Illegal Online Pharmacies

Last week, U.S. authorities and several international organizations shut down 1,677 illegal online pharmacies that had been dispensing fake and potentially harmful medications and seized more than $41 million in illegal medications, FDA announced Thursday. John Roth -- director of FDA's Office of Criminal Investigation -- said consumers should be vigilant for red flags, such as websites that do not require a prescription or contact through spam email.

• "Authorities Shut Down 1,600 Fake Pharmacy Websites" (Corbett Dooren, Wall Street Journal, 6/27).
• "Online Pharmacy Crackdown Shutters 1,677 Websites" (Murphy, AP/Sacramento Bee, 6/27).