The National Association of Boards of Pharmacies (NABP) applied for a .PHARMACY generic top-level domain (gTLD) last June, and the domain recently passed the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN) initial evaluation. Reaching this key point is a significant accomplishment in the effort to create a secure and trustworthy online space for pharmacies and consumers around the world.

Once a registry agreement is passed with ICANN and technical testing is complete, NABP will make the .PHARMACY domain available only to legitimate online pharmacies in the United States and other countries. NABP’s goal is that, by the end of 2013, all pharmacy sites that are approved to use the .PHARMACY designation will be able to operate in a safe and secure manner.

According to their website, “.PHARMACY space will be a secure and trustworthy destination where consumers can be sure the medications they buy online are authentic and safe. NABP will ensure that all registrants within the .PHARMACY gTLD will be vetted prior to registration to confirm that they meet all applicable regulatory standards, including pharmacy licensure, drug authenticity, and valid prescription requirements.”

For more information, read this NABP press release.

The Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies (CSIP) and our 12 member companies have the shared goal of helping address the growing problem of consumer access to illegitimate pharmaceutical products on the Internet. Continue to read this blog for updates on CSIP’s education, enforcement and information-sharing efforts.