NABP Awards VIPPS Certification to Eckerd.com

January 29, 2001 12:00 am

NABP Awards VIPPS Certification to Eckerd.com

Eckerd.com is the most recent online pharmacy to receive Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™ (VIPPS™) certification from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). Eckerd's Web site is located at www.eckerd.com.

"NABP is pleased to add eckerd.com to the list of VIPPS-certified Web sites," says Jerry Moore, NABP president. "The VIPPS seal attests that eckered.com is properly licensed with the appropriate state boards of pharmacy and has met a rigorous 17-point criteria review that considers patient confidentiality, security of prescriptions, a quality assurance program, and patient-pharmacist consultation."

As a VIPPS-certified site, eckerd.com may display the VIPPS hyperlink seal of approval on its Web site. By clicking on the VIPPS seal, consumers will be able to find the verified information they need to make informed decisions regarding their choice of online pharmacies. Consumers may also access the VIPPS database directly via NABP's Web site at www.nabp.net.

"Eckerd is dedicated to providing the highest quality of service for our online pharmacy customers," says Mike Fidella, Eckerd vice president of e-commerce. "Our online pharmacy customers can be assured that the Eckerd Web site complies with the highest standards within the industry."

Eckerd Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of JC Penney Co, is based in Clearwater, Fla, and is one of the United States' largest retail drug chains with 2,600 drug stores in 20 states. Eckerd employs over 78,000 associates company-wide, including 9,000 pharmacists.

Participation in the VIPPS certification program is voluntary. The program was developed to provide consumers with a reliable means to identify those online pharmacies that have proven their preparedness to meet the unique challenges of the practice of pharmacy via the Internet.

For more information about the VIPPS program or the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, please call NABP at 847/698-6227, or log on to NABP's Web site at www.nabp.net.

NABP is the independent, international, and impartial Association that assists its member boards and jurisdictions in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards for the purpose of protecting the public health.

Jan Teplitz