Digital danger: a review of the global public health, patient safety and cybersecurity threats posed by illicit online pharmacies

BACKGROUND: Amidst the rise of e-commerce, there has been a proliferation of illicit online pharmacies that threaten global patient safety by selling drugs without a prescription directly to the consumer. Despite this clear threat, little is known about the key risk characteristics, central challenges and current legal, regulatory and law enforcement responses. SOURCES OF DATA: A review was conducted of the English literature with search terms 'online pharmacies', 'Internet pharmacies', 'cyber pharmacies', 'rogue pharmacies', and 'e-pharmacies' using PubMed, JSTOR, and Google Scholar from 1999-2005. AREAS OF AGREEMENT: Illicit online pharmacies are a rapidly growing public health threat and are characterized by a number of complex and interrelated risk factors. AREAS OF CONTROVERSY: Solutions are varied and are of questionable utility in the face of evolving technology that enables this form of transnational cybercrime. GROWING POINTS: Legal, regulatory and technology solutions must address the entire illicit online pharmacy ecosystem in order to be effective. AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH: There is a critical need to build international consensus, conduct additional research and develop technology to combat illicit online pharmacies.