Over 30 electronic platforms for the illegal sale of drugs, including peptides, have been identified after 70 inspections. Reports have been sent to the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) in the cases, announced the Minister of Health Katya Ivkova, quoted by bTV.
According to her, some users are looking for a quick effect, especially for weight loss, but often do not know what substance they are taking.
“All actions taken are aimed at protecting the health of all of us“, said Katya Ivkova.The minister pointed out that the identified sites offer unauthorized medicinal products outside the order in which medicines are legally sold. Among them are peptide products, which are used by many Bulgarians.
Alerts to the Directorate of Drug Control and the Prosecutor's Office
The Director of the Executive Agency for Drugs Bogdan Kirilov specified that the list includes sites with active links, referring to information about unregulated supply of drugs on the Internet. He defined this type of trade as associated with health risks.
“We are actively working with the Directorate of Drug Control and the Directorate of Cybercrimes, the Prosecutor's Office, with a view to timely identification of such types of sites“, said Kirilov.
Inspections of Internet platforms are part of the control over online trade in medicinal products. According to the Ministry of Health, such inspections often reveal advertisements for medicines that are only available by prescription. In a number of cases, there are no products with the published trade names authorized for use in Bulgaria, and for some substances there is no authorization for use anywhere in the world, as they are still in the clinical trial stage.
What's next
The Bulgarian Medicines Agency continues to monitor the content of sites offering peptide products and other drugs outside the regulated channels. If violations are detected, the signals are directed to the Directorate of Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Cybercrime Directorate and the Prosecutor's Office.
The Agency does not have the legal authority to carry out procedural and investigative actions on its own or to order the suspension of Internet sites. This is done within the framework of the actions of the competent investigative bodies.