LegitScript Shuts Down Rogue Internet Pharmacy "Mothership"

PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Internet pharmacy monitoring and compliance firm LegitScript announced that it shut down myrxcash.com, an Internet pharmacy affiliate marketing portal connected to hundreds of websites identified by drug safety regulators as selling unregulated prescription drugs without a prescription.

The firm states that it has shut down or disabled more than 15,000 rogue pharmacy websites in 2012, and about 30,000 since 2009.

The website myrxcash.com was identified in an FDA warning letter earlier this year as "offering unapproved and misbranded drugs," by selling prescription drugs without a prescription, and unapproved drugs that had not been approved for safety and efficacy.

LegitScript President John Horton stated that myrxcash.com was a key "anchor" website among hundreds in an online pharmacy network commonly known as "MyRxCash" where Internet marketers could download pre-designed online pharmacy templates, and set up multiple Internet pharmacies selling unapproved drugs and prescription-only medicines without a prescription online. According to LegitScript, affiliate marketers would then gain up to 40% commission on each illicit drug sale. "This website was like a proverbial 'mothership' that spawned hundreds of unlicensed, unregulated rogue online pharmacies selling prescription-only medicines to patients, thus putting their health and safety at risk," Horton said.

LegitScript's international Internet pharmacy standards are recognized by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, which represents pharmacy regulators in the US, Canada and other countries. The firm is endorsed by the NABP on the behalf of its regulatory boards as a resource for registrars and other Internet companies to verify the legitimacy, or lack thereof, of websites selling prescription drugs and other healthcare products.

LegitScript was also identified earlier this year by INTERPOL as assisting its efforts as part of Operation Pangea, a global effort focused on shuttering illicit online drug sellers.

Horton stated, "The name of the program itself, MyRxCash, underscores what these dangerous online pharmacies are really all about: profits, not patient safety." LegitScript's blog states that it had already shut down hundreds of MyRxCash's online pharmacies, and that LegitScript would continue targeting the network at the domain name and payment platform level.

LegitScript works with a variety of leading Internet platforms, including major search engines and e-commerce portals to ensure that the companies' platforms are not misused by rogue Internet pharmacies. Internet users can check online pharmacy legitimacy or report a rogue Internet pharmacy to LegitScript at legitscript.com.

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LegitScript Shuts Down Rogue Internet Pharmacy "Mothership"