EBay will pay $59 million settlement over pill presses sold online as US undergoes overdose epidemic
ABC News
The e-commerce giant eBay will pay a $59 million in a settlement with the Justice Department over thousands of pill press machines sold on the the platform
WASHINGTON -- The e-commerce giant eBay will pay $59 million in a settlement with the Justice Department over thousands of pill press machines sold on the the platform.
The machines can be used to manufacture counterfeit pills that look just like prescription pills but instead can be laced with substances like fentanyl, a synthetic opioid drug that is largely fueling the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history, according to the Justice Department. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sellers of pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment are required to verify buyers' identities, keep records, and report to the Drug Enforcement Administration to make sure the machines are traceable and not used illegally.
The Justice Department says eBay, which provides a platform for people to make online sales, failed to meet those requirements for thousands of pill presses and pill-filling encapsulating machines, including high-capacity pill presses capable of producing thousands of pills per hour.
In hundreds of cases, pill-press buyers also bought counterfeit molds or dies that allowed them to make pills mimicking legitimate prescription pills, authorities said. Many people who bought pill presses on eBay have since been charged in illegal counterfeit pills trafficking cases, according to the Justice Department.
