Go Daddy Cheers Passage of Online Pharmacy Legislation

Go Daddy & Senate Work to Limit Availability of Prescription Drugs on the Web

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.- Go Daddy applauds this week’s Senate passage of "The Ryan Haight Online Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act of 2008.” The legislation, introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is key to reducing the proliferation of illegitimate pharmacies on the Internet.

The bill, which is now awaiting action in the House of Representatives, would amend the federal drug law by requiring that Web-based companies only dispense controlled substances to individuals who have a valid prescription and have been examined at least once by a health care provider.

Executives with Go Daddy, the world’s No. 1 domain registration company, and the world’s largest paid Web hosting provider, not only backed the bill, but proposed modifications to make the legislation more relevant.

“Go Daddy applauds any action to help reduce the number of rogue Internet pharmacies that are either selling controlled substances without a valid prescription, or selling illegal or counterfeit prescriptions over the Web,” said Go Daddy’s CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “This legislation will give us the ability to be proactive when we are made aware of Internet pharmacy sites that do not comply with registration requirements.”

The bill is named after Ryan Haight, a California teenager who died after overdosing on Vicodin, which he obtained on the Internet. Passage in the Senate comes as the number of sites that are either selling or advertising prescription medication on the Web grows at a remarkable rate, according to a recent study conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Colombia University.

The report, released in 2007, also found 84 percent of Web sites selling such medications did not require a prescription.

This is not the first time The Go Daddy Group Inc. has worked to make the Internet safer for all users. During 2007, Go Daddy General Counsel Christine Jones provided key testimony in Congress about the company’s efforts in the fight against child pornography.

In December, Go Daddy lauded the U.S. House of Representatives passage of the “PROTECT Our Children Act of 2007,” and the “Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2007.”

Go Daddy plans to continue its active role in promoting the passage of the online pharmacy legislation by working with House Judiciary Committee Members who have expressed interest in introducing a companion bill.

“A growing number of people, particularly minors, are using the powers of the Internet to purchase controlled substances without a prescription or doctor’s exam,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who co-sponsored the Senate legislation. “This bill is an important step to shutting down illegitimate online pharmacies by requiring a valid prescription and proper proof of age and identity.”