Almost 40 websites were made inaccessible due to illegal sales of medications, revealed the Ministry of Economy on Tuesday. Most of the website owners live in Europe.
The action was a result of a large-scale investigation dubbed 'Pharmawatch', which took place between May 2024 and March 2025. It was carried out by the Ministry of Economy in collaboration with the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP).
A total of 55 online shops, including 46 websites, were investigated. Around half of the websites (45%) illegally sold priority 1 medicines. These pose the highest risk to public health if misused, noted the Ministry. This included psychotropic drugs, sleeping pills, hormonal agents, and products to be used in suicide attempts.
Around a quarter of websites sold priority 2 medicines, such as antibiotics. Another quarter sold priority 4 medicines, including erectile dysfunction drugs, which require medication.
"These products are not checked and often contain impurities or the wrong dosages, and in some cases can be life-threatening. Sometimes they don't even work at all," said the FAMHP's chief executive, Hugues Malonne.
In addition to the health risks, the illegal sales also represent a loss in revenue for the country. The Ministry of Economy estimates around €1.5 million in financial losses, although it expects the real number to be higher.
Only buy from a pharmacy
Malonne added that consumers often don't realise they are ordering illegal medication. "The person who orders these illegal products is also breaking the law and can even be fined. So only buy medicines from a pharmacy," he added.
To prevent new victims, 25 of the illegal websites were shut down and 11 were redirected to a warning page. "This warning page proved to be a good decision. Since the beginning of January, nearly 2,300 additional consumers have tried to consult these websites," said the spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy, Etienne Mignolet.
In Belgium, only authorised pharmacies can sell medication online, Mignolet noted. To better recognise illegal websites, the FAMHP launched an online campaign. Information on products that are particularly vulnerable to counterfeits can be found on Pharmainfo.
