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— Congress has passed a bill intended to crack down on rogue online pharmacies that sell drugs without a valid prescription.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., would prohibit the sale of controlled substances over the Internet without a prescription written by a doctor who has conducted an in-person examination of the patient.
It would also require online pharmacies to display certain information on the their Web sites, including a pharmacy's address and phone number as well information about the pharmacist and any physician associated with the business.
The legislation is a response to mounting concerns that unscrupulous online pharmacies are contributing to drug addictions and drug overdoses — particularly among adolescents — by selling controlled substances without requiring valid prescriptions and without verifying customer ages or identities.
The House passed Stupak's bill last week and the Senate cleared the legislation late Tuesday. The measure now heads to the president.
