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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.

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) was established in 1904 to assist state licensing boards in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards to protect the Public Health. NABP’s member boards of pharmacy are grouped into eight districts that include all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, eight Canadian provinces, and New Zealand.

In response to public concern of the safety of pharmacy practices on the Internet, the association developed the Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) program in the spring of 1999. A coalition of state and federal regulatory associations, professional associations, and consumer advocacy groups provided their expertise in developing the criteria which VIPPS accredited Pharmacies follow.

To be VIPPS accredited, a pharmacy must comply with the licensing and inspection requirements of their state and each state to which they dispense pharmaceuticals. In addition, pharmacies displaying the VIPPS seal have demonstrated to NABP compliance with VIPPS criteria including patient rights to privacy, authentication and security of prescription orders, adherence to a recognized quality assurance policy, and provision of meaningful consultation between patients and pharmacists.

VIPPS pharmacy sites are identified by the VIPPS hyperlink seal displayed on their Web site. By clicking on the seal, a visitor is linked to the NABP VIPPS site where verified information about the pharmacy is maintained by NABP. The public is also welcome to access the VIPPS site at www.nabp.net to search for a VIPPS Internet pharmacy, which matches their needs.