NABP Addresses the Danger and Ease Involved in Purchasing Prescription Medications via Online Search Engines

March 12, 2004 12:00 am

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) is aware that as more and more Americans are looking to the Internet to purchase drugs, they are relying on search engines and online companies to locate Internet pharmacies they can trust and utilize. Unfortunately, the proliferation of rogue pharmacy sites places patients in danger, as well as exposes the United States drug system to counterfeit medications.

The NABP Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™ (VIPPS®) program and its accompanying Seal identify to the public those online pharmacies that are not only appropriately licensed, but that have passed a rigorous and comprehensive 19-point criteria review. To qualify for VIPPS accreditation, online pharmacies must also successfully complete an on-site inspection and interview process performed by VIPPS inspectors.

NABP's research has proven that some licensed online pharmacies deceive regulators, alter their operations, and implement illegal practices after they obtain licensure. Typically, they covertly enter agreements with rogue Web sites to anonymously and illegally dispense medications without receiving a valid prescription. For half a decade, NABP has worked with the state boards of pharmacy and state and federal regulators who in turn have collaborated with enforcement authorities to identify and shut down these types of operations.

Considering that it can be difficult for NABP, the boards of pharmacy, and state and federal regulators to identify this type of subversive and black market operations, consumers must be cautious in relying on referral or screening services that may not be as thorough as the VIPPS process.

VIPPS accreditation assures consumers that the pharmacy is licensed in all applicable jurisdictions, and has been verified against NABP's Clearinghouse of suspicious sites, and meets rigorous safety and quality standards addressing confidentiality, prescription authentication, prescription review for drug interactions, pharmacist consultation, and many others.

Renee Renganathan