Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) Facts

Since its inception in 1999 by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) accreditation program has become the most trusted and respected means for the public to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate online drug sellers.

The VIPPS program and its seal of approval assure the public that VIPPS retailers are legitimate online pharmacies appropriately licensed in each state to which they ship pharmaceuticals. Additionally, VIPPS retailers have successfully completed a rigorous 19-point criteria review and on-site survey. It is the only verification program supported by the Food and Drug Administration and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The VIPPS program is unique in that no other accreditation or verification program for online drug sellers covers as many areas as VIPPS, or does so as thoroughly. It is this criteria, and how it was developed, that sets the VIPPS program apart.

The Industry’s Toughest Standards
An online pharmacy must demonstrate compliance with a stringent set of criteria to qualify for VIPPS accreditation. Along with verification that the pharmacy is licensed in good standing by state boards, the VIPPS criteria includes questions in 19 Internet and practice-based areas, including:

• how the patient’s or caregiver’s identity is verified
• patient medication consultation
• the steps that are taken to ensure the patient’s confidentiality
• how medications are dispensed
• how controlled substance medications are secured and tracked when shipped to the patient.

The VIPPS program was developed by a coalition of state and federal regulatory associations, professional associations, and consumer advocacy groups. Because NABP accredits the online pharmacies based on criteria defined by regulators, consumers, and pharmacists, the public can rely on the VIPPS Seal to be assured that each patient receives the best in online pharmacy care. Currently, 15 pharmacy sites representing more than 12,000 pharmacies carry the VIPPS seal. Visit www.vipps.info to see the complete listing of VIPPS online pharmacies.

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SAFEMEDS ALERT SYSTEM

For more than a century, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) has assisted its member boards and jurisdictions in the regulation of pharmacy practices. Today, pharmacy boards from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, three U.S. territories, nine Canadian provinces, two Australian states and South Africa look to NABP to help develop, implement, and enforce uniform pharmacy standards to protect the public health. NABP is proud to be a member of the Partnership for Safe Medicine.