Quick Tips for Buying Online

• Make sure the site requires a prescription and has a pharmacist available for questions.
• Buy only from licensed pharmacies located in the United States. The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy has more information about licensing and its program to certify online pharmacies.
• Don't provide personal information such as credit card numbers unless you are sure the site will protect them.
• More Tips

Enforcement

• Warning Letters to Online Sellers

Consumer Information

General

• FDA Warns Individuals and Firms to Stop Selling Fake Cancer 'Cures' (June 17, 2008
• Beware of Online Cancer Fraud
  
• FDA Warns Companies Importing and Marketing Drugs Over the Internet that Fraudulently Claim to Prevent and Treat STDs (March 6, 2008)
• FDA Says Consumers Continue to Buy Risky Drugs Online (Nov. 1, 2007)
• FDA Alerts Consumers to Unsafe, Misrepresented Drugs Purchased Over the Internet (Feb. 16, 2007; updated April 4, 2008)
• Use Caution When Buying Medical Products Online
• Evaluating Health Information on the Internet

Drugs

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Buying Medicines Online
• The Possible Dangers of Buying Medicine Online
• FDA Urges Consumers Not to Use Melanotan II, Promoted to Prevent Skin Cancer
• Avoid Red Yeast Rice Products Marketed Online to Treat High Cholesterol
• Buying Prescription Medicines Online: A Consumer Safety Guide
  [en Español]
• Twelve Medicines Not to Buy Online
• Buying Fake ED Products Online

Medical Devices

• Buying Medical Devices Online
• Buying Contact Lenses Online
• Beware of Buying Diagnostic Tests Online

Radiation-Emitting Products

• Laser Pointers