The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the launch of a pilot program to help reduce the online sale of opioids. As described in the announcement, the FDA will notify internet registries that are participating in the program when the agency sends a warning letter to a website operator and the operator does not respond within the required timeframe. The internet registries will then review the FDA’s notifications and decide if further action is warranted, including domain name suspension or blocks of the sites. At the end of the pilot program, the agencies will analyze its effectiveness to determine whether or not the program should be continued.
- Ann Tucker