Managing Illicit Online Pharmacies: Web Analytics and Predictive Models Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Online pharmacies have grown significantly in recent years, from US $29.35 billion in 2014 to an expected US $128 billion in 2023 worldwide. Although legitimate online pharmacies (LOPs) provide a channel of convenience and potentially lower costs for patients, illicit online pharmacies (IOPs) open the doors to unfettered access to prescription drugs, controlled substances (eg, opioids), and potentially counterfeits, posing a dramatic risk to the drug supply chain and the health of the patient. Unfortunately, we know little about IOPs, and even identifying and monitoring IOPs is challenging because of the large number of online pharmacies (at least 30,000-35,000) and the dynamic nature of the online channel (online pharmacies open and shut down easily).

Objective

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SUBMITTER: Zhao H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7479587 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature