The top-level domain (TLD), .PHARMACY, is a specialized internet domain reserved for the pharmacy industry and supported by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). The NABP launched the .PHARMACY initiative in 2014, as part of its intentions to ensure the health and safety of both patients and the pharmaceutical industry itself on the internet (source: National Association of Boards of Pharmacy).
.TLDs are the parts of the URL that come after the final dot — such as .COM, .ORG, or .GOV. The .PHARMACY TLD was instituted to help consumers know which online pharmacies are legitimate and comply with pharmacy laws and practice standards (source: National Association of Boards of Pharmacy).
The .PHARMACY domain is not freely available to just any website. It can only be used by approved entities that fulfill the stringent criteria laid out by NABP. These regulations cover everything from the verification of licensure and legitimacy of the pharmacy to confirmation of privacy practices and transaction security (source: National Association of Boards of Pharmacy). Using this TLD, consumers can be assured that they are dealing with a legitimate, safe, and licensed online pharmacy service.
A few examples of websites that use .PHARMACY TLD are pharmacist.com, safe.pharmacy, and board.pharmacy. These websites, alongside others, undergone rigorous checks and met the NABP’s stringent criteria to earn the right to use the .PHARMACY domain (source: National Association of Boards of Pharmacy).
In conclusion, the .PHARMACY TLD represents a significant step forward in protecting the health and safety of consumers online. It allows users to have confidence in the legitimacy of the online pharmacy they’re using, while also ensuring that the companies behind these sites operate with integrity and in line with pharmacy laws and practice standards. It’s a robust safeguarding measure in an era where online fraud, particularly in the health and pharmaceutical industries, has become a massive concern globally.
Sources used:
1. “About the Program – .Pharmacy”. National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Retrieved from https://safe.pharmacy/about-the-program/
2. “Ensure Online Sellers Are Legitimate: Ask for .Pharmacy!”. FDA. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/ensure-online-sellers-are-legitimate-ask-pharmacy
3. “.Pharmacy Verified Websites”. National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Retrieved from https://safe.pharmacy/pharmacy-verified-websites.
