WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Visa
Inc. (NYSE:V) is now a member of the Alliance
for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global), it was announced today by ASOP
Global’s Executive Director, Libby Baney and Martin Elliott, global
head of brand protection for Visa.
“While the vast majority of e-commerce merchants operate legitimate
businesses, we recognize the threat presented by illegal online
pharmacies that endanger public health and erode trust in the payment
system by selling consumers counterfeit drugs,” Elliot said. “We are
proud to join ASOP Global to protect cardholders and the integrity of
electronic payments systems.”
“Illegal online drug sellers make billions of dollars selling dangerous
counterfeit and unapproved medicines,” explained Baney. “Visa’s
membership in ASOP Global demonstrates their commitment to helping deny
rogue online drug sellers access to electronic payments.”
Currently there are 35,000 active online pharmacies, the vast majority
of which – roughly 96% -- do not comply with applicable laws and safety
standards. Further, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that
50% of medicines sold online are fake or counterfeit.
According to Interpol, counterfeit medicines are responsible for between
100,000 and one million deaths annually worldwide. Counterfeit drugs are
often manufactured in unsafe conditions and contain little or no active
ingredients. In addition, counterfeit drugs have been found to contain
dangerous or deadly poisons, including floor wax, mercury, concrete,
chalk, boric acid, road tar, paint or anti-freeze.
Since 2009, ASOP Global has worked to educate patients, policymakers,
Internet commerce companies and healthcare organizations about the risks
of illegal online drug sellers and to advance policies to make the
Internet safer for patients worldwide. Most recently, ASOP Global
launched a campaign to educate older Americans and their caregivers on
the health and economic risks they face when buying prescription
medicines online and tips for how to stay safe.
View
the Multimedia News Release and Watch the Video
“As long as people are at risk of receiving dangerous, illegitimate
products through rogue websites, ASOP Global will do everything it can
to protect consumers worldwide,” Baney said. “We applaud Visa for
joining us in our mission to address the growing public threat of
illegal online drug sellers and protect Internet consumers worldwide.”
About the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global)
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Alliance
for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global) is an international
501(c)(4) social welfare organization dedicated to protecting patient
safety globally and ensuring patient access to safe and legitimate
online pharmacies in accordance with applicable laws. Members
include organizations representing pharmacists, pharmacies and
physicians; patient safety groups; public health organizations;
pharmaceutical manufacturers; government entities; and Internet security
organizations.
About Visa (NYSE:V)
Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is a global payments technology company that connects
consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in
more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable
electronic payments. We operate one of the world's most advanced
processing networks — VisaNet — that is capable of handling more than
65,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for
consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does
not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers.
Visa's innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers
to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, pay ahead of time
with prepaid or pay later with credit products. For more information,
visit usa.visa.com/about-visa,
visacorporate.tumblr.com
and @VisaNews.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160616005589/en/
Source: Visa Inc.