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MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill. — The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) has named Kerr Drug, Pharmahelper.com and QC Supply as the first online pharmacy services to be approved through its new e-Advertiser Approval Program now required by online search providers Google, Microsoft and Yahoo.
NABP said Wednesday the seal signifies that those entities offer reliable, trustworthy resources for patients seeking to purchase medications safely online and that their pharmacy web sites are eligible to advertise through search engines that require accreditation through the association’s Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) program.
"NABP congratulates these three entities on meeting the comprehensive standards of the e-Advertiser Approval Program and on their dedication to the safety of patients using Internet pharmacies to obtain their prescription medications," NABP president William Winsley said in a statement.
Launched in April, the e-Advertiser Approval Program was developed to assist search engines in their efforts to weed out "rogue" Internet drug outlets from their sponsored search results (that is, paid advertisements) and to accommodate the range of pharmacy-related entities seeking to advertise online, according to NABP.
Last month NABP applauded Microsoft and Yahoo and earlier this year commended Google for modifying their policies to require Internet pharmacy advertisers to be VIPPS-accredited. Pharmacies earning the VIPPS seal have completed the NABP accreditation process, which includes a thorough review of all policies and procedures as well as an on-site inspection of all facilities used by the site to receive, review and dispense medications, the association said.
NABP explained that because the VIPPS program is structured to address licensed pharmacies engaged in a full range of defined pharmacy practices over the Internet, it developed the e-Advertiser Approval Program to ensure that advertisers offering limited pharmacy services or other prescription drug-related services online aren’t engaged in illicit practices or affiliated with other sites that are.
To earn NABP e-Advertiser Approval, Internet advertisers must pass a comprehensive investigation of their Web site and all affiliated sites to verify their compliance with standards for safe and legitimate practice. NABP Approved e-Advertisers are eligible to advertise through the search engines, which permit only VIPPS-accredited online pharmacies to display sponsored links and are periodically reassessed to ensure their continued adherence to these standards, NABP reported.
Kerr Drug is a regional drug store chain with about 90 stores in North Carolina. Pharmahelper is a comparison search engine for prescription medicine and requires all Internet pharmacies affiliated with its site to possess VIPPS accreditation, NABP said. QC Supply provides commercial and agricultural products that include vaccinations and over-the-counter products for companion and food-producing animals.
