WARNINGS TARGET ROGUE DRUG SITES

Drugstore.Com Campaign Aimed At Illegal Pharmacies

The nation's largest online pharmacy, Drugstore.com, announced yesterday
that it is starting a public awareness campaign to warn consumers about the
dangers of buying medications from rogue Internet sites that specialize in
selling painkillers and other dangerous drugs.

"The Internet is a great tool to help consumers manage their health," said
the company's chairman, Peter Neupert. "Unfortunately, there are a growing
number of unscrupulous businesses using the Internet to deceive the public
. . . many times without a doctor's prescription."

The Bellevue, Wash.-based company said consumers have been sold diluted,
contaminated and counterfeit drugs from illegal offshore Internet
pharmacies that "pose a serious threat to the public health and safety."

Neupert said Drugstore.com, with annual sales of $194 million, plans to
take a leadership role on the issue and work with the National Association
of Boards of Pharmacy "to close the door on illegal online pharmacies."

The company's announcement comes as legitimate online pharmacies are trying
to differentiate themselves from increasing numbers of domestic and
offshore Web sites that deluge consumers with e-mails and advertisements
for Vicodin, hydrocodone, Xanax, Valium, and other controlled substances.
Many of the offshore sites offer dangerous drugs without prescriptions.
Others work with middlemen who link customers with doctors who churn out
thousands of prescriptions after brief telephone consultations.

Rogue sites have proliferated as consumers and cash-strapped state and
local governments turn to Internet pharmacies in Canada and other countries
in search of bargain drugs, said Carmen A. Catizone, executive director of
the pharmacy board association. The local governments' actions add a patina
of legitimacy to the purchases and this "sends the wrong signal" to owners
of rogue pharmacies, Catizone said.

"They're seeing the governments saying it's okay to break the law and we're
[state and federal government regulators] not going to do anything,"
Catizone said. "We're going backward to the snake-oil salesmen, before we
had the Food and Drug Administration."

Drugstore.com said that its "Safe Shopper" public awareness campaign will
aim to educate consumers about the dangers of rogue Web sites and how to
identify legitimate online pharmacies. Among its guidelines:

Avoid online pharmacies that do not list their addresses, require consumers
to visit their local doctors to get a prescription, or carry a full line of
prescription drugs.

Do not purchase drugs from unlicensed and unregulated Web sites that
inundate consumers with unsolicited e-mail advertisements.

Look for the pharmacy association's seal of certification.