By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
The trade of illegal prescription drugs has prospered on the Internet and concern has grown over the abuse of pharmaceuticals.
``The illegal sale and use of pharmaceutical drugs has become a major problem,’’ an official from the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said. ``We are worried about the abuse of prescription drugs and their side effects on drug takers.’’
The organization launched an intensive crackdown on those who sell drugs on the Internet with the cooperation of the nation’s 13 major portals last June.
Last month’s roundup resulted in the shutdown of 300 Internet sites and the arrest of illegal drug sellers.
Drugs dealt on the Internet include medication for male erectile dysfunction and high blood pressure such as Viagra and Cialis as well as traditional narcotics.
The varied Internet media and the increase in the number of Internet users make it harder to crack down on drug dealers in cyber space, the official said.
The advertisements for such drugs are easily found on personal blogs and bulletin boards at many Web sites. Numerous spam mail is distributed to lure Internet users to buy illegal drugs.
Some get such drugs from people who have proper prescriptions, which allows them access to the drugs, but who use their prescriptions to sell to others rather than using them themselves.
Cold remedies and diet aid medicines are also sold on the Internet, many of which people need a doctor’s prescription to buy.
The increase in online drug trade is largely due to the fact that people can get such medications cheaply and more easily.
At online shopping malls, many medicines are sold at half the retail sales price of stores and just a few clicks gets them a home delivery.
Such medications are usually promoted as having been imported from the United States, but many are fake or have passed their expiration date, the KFDA official said.