An investigation revealed that Amazon had sold dozens of illegal steroids on its website. These hormones are very harmful to health and are widely used by athletes to recover from extreme exertion. The selected doping products have been removed from the platform.
On September 17, an investigation by The Mark Up, an American non-profit organization, revealed that there were 66 articles containing steroids products on Amazon. The articles in question contain steroid peptides. These hormones are naturally manufactured by the body to boost production of testosterone and anabolic or anti-inflammatory hormones.
Peptides are synthetically produced in the laboratory, and are evaluated by athletes to improve post-workout or post-injury recovery. Peptides are not on the list of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, dozens of types of peptides were available for sale on Amazon until recently.
To circumvent the law, and Amazon's vigilance, sellers claimed on the product page that the peptides were intended for laboratory research. However, many netizens explained in the customer reviews that they had injected themselves with hormones. Peptides are dangerous to health. If misused, these hormones can cause cancer, necrosis, heart disease, pneumonia, or meningitis. Even worse, syringes designed in uncontrolled environments are often laden with impurities, bacteria, cutting agents, or heavy metals.
Amazon has banned 66 steroids from its site
After contacting colleagues at The Verge, Amazon claims it immediately banned articles from its website after The Markup investigation. "The products in question were previously allowed in our store for research purposes only and not for injection or human consumption. However, out of wisdom, we have decided not to allow these products anymore," explains an Amazon spokesperson.
Recently, Amazon has actually been accused of selling dangerous and disabling products under the Basics brand. Last year, an investigation by The Wall Street Journal revealed that there were more than 4,000 dangerous and illegal products on the e-commerce site.