They convinced the state medical boards of Canada and the U.S. that the doctors who were reported to them for malfeasance were really the victims of bad health care delivery systems, something that contradicted the Harvard Medical Practice Studies.

FORBES: Hospital Improvement: New Report is a Half-Baked Recipe for Patient Safety

Google said in February 2010 it would begin allowing ads only from U.S. pharmacies accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy and from online pharmacies in Canada that are accredited by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association.

WSJ: Google Near DOJ Settlement Over Online Drug Ads

About 96% of Internet drug outlets appeared to be violating pharmacy laws or standards, according to a 2008 study by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, or NABP, a group representing state regulators in the U.S. and Canada.

WSJ: Google Was Warned on Rogue Drug Ads