L'Agenzia di regolamentazione dei medicinali e dei prodotti sanitari (MHRA) ha condotto un'operazione internazionale in collaborazione con l'INTERPOL e otto agenzie di regolamentazione in tutto il mondo per contrastare la vendita e la fornitura illegali di medicinali venduti sul mercato Internet. Secondo il comunicato stampa, gli investigatori dell'MHRA hanno effettuato visite coordinate in una serie di locali del Regno Unito ritenuti collegati a siti Internet che vendono e forniscono illegalmente medicinali senza licenza omedicinali soggetti a prescrizione. Danny Lee-Frost, Head of Operations at the MHRA said, “People can be at considerable risk if they buy medicines from illegal websites. A medicine bought in this way has no guarantee that it is safe or that it is effective and can in fact be harmful. Yesterday’s operation demonstrates our continued commitment to safeguard public health and highlights the leading role we play internationally in getting our European and international counterparts to tackle this global issue on the same day as us. Our action in the UK should serve as a stark warning to those who are engaged in any way with supplying medicines illegally. Our messages are simple – do not buy prescription-only medicines over the internet without a prescription and if you are illegally selling or supplying medicines, we will use all appropriate measures available to stop you, including prosecution and confiscation.”