Cipro

Like public health concerns over anthrax, the number of online shops hawking the antibiotic Cipro has blossomed. Drug-dispensing Web sites have existed for a long time, but their impact used to be less dramatic, as they dealt in the relatively innocuous realm of Viagra, diet pills, birth control pills, steroids, and hair-loss medications. Their target consumers were merely those who were unwilling or unable to get legitimate prescriptions.

Thus the problem of drug sales over the Net remained in the shadows. Although the FDA and various states closed down many domestic online pharmaceutical operations that they deemed illegal, the average consumer didn't really notice. But in the month following the first anthrax death, so many Web sites started popping up to sell Cipro that the FDA and the FTC began issuing warnings to consumers, urging caution and telling potential customers to avoid rogue sites.

A Google search for Cipro returns dozens of hits for sites selling anthrax "protection kits" that require nothing more than a credit card number. Such offers are extremely tempting for people caught in the grip of fear. And by selling Cipro, the rogue pharmaceutical sites have seriously upped the ante for risk factors, because the drug is an antibiotic that should be consumed only when appropriate and safely monitored. (Cipro can have nasty side effects that might be acceptable if you've been exposed to anthrax, but not just to quell your fear.)

Online and Aboveboard?

The majority of sites that sell Cipro over the Net with "no hassle, no prescription" are overseas outfits that can get away with this because our domestic agencies have no jurisdiction over them. But the FDA is doing what it can to stop scamsters from capitalizing on Americans' fear and is "taking several actions to halt potentially illicit drug sales."

In early November, the FDA issued cyberletters to foreign Web sites selling unapproved Cipro. The letters warned the sites that they could be violating U.S. law if the Cipro they're selling to Americans doesn't conform to FDA standards. And the U.S. Customs Service is taking measures to seize questionable prescription drug shipments when they enter the country.

Of course, there are online pharmacies that are completely aboveboard: drugstore.com, Walgreens online, and many others are legal and convenient services that handle prescription refills. (Look for the VIPPS seal from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, www.nabp.net.) But those sites won't sell you medication unless you have a prescription. Though they may not be as convenient as feeding a credit card number to some Web site based in Fiji, they are at least reputable.

The thing I find most frightening about the sale of drugs online is the unknown. Like scam operators all over the Net, the people behind the sites might not be who they say they are. They may not send you anything for your money, or even worse, they might not send you the pills you were expecting. Since the FDA can't oversee the manufacture of drugs it hasn't approved, it can't verify the ingredients of those pills. You could end up with a useless sugar pill or one that is tainted with dangerous substances.

Unknown Sources

To be honest, I am astounded by the absurdity—and the irony—of the scenario. I can certainly understand calling out a Hazmat team or going to a doctor over the remote possibility of anthrax exposure. But if you are afraid of exposing yourself to a suspicious substance from an unknown source like unmarked mail, does it really make sense to order a suspicious substance from a different unknown source? When these rogue sites were hawking Viagra and diet pills, the danger of the drugs and the reach of the sellers were smaller.

The implications of stepping into the unknown world of illicit online drug purchases are profound. Widespread use of Cipro when it isn't needed could create a public health hazard. And the danger that some of these drugs may be counterfeit—a real problem in other countries—means there is no telling where this might lead. At the very least, succumbing to the temptation allows yet another hazard in the door.

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Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.