PHARMACY BOARDS LAUNCH NEW LICENSURE AUTHENTICATION SERVICE

The National Association ofBoards of Pharmacy (NABP) haslaunched a new licensure authenticationservice aimed at helping"Yellow Page" directories avoid listings for unlicensed Internetpharmacies.

"The rapid growth of on-line pharmacies that offer pharmaceuticalservices brought with it challenges for those entitieswishing to ensure that these on-line pharmacies are operatingwith a valid license," NABP said in announcing the newPharmacy Authenticated Licensure Service (PALS).

The initiative will provide a directory of qualified pharmaciesand pharmacists-in-charge that can be referred to by the public,authenticating the legitimacy of on-line pharmacies. By usingthe service, publishers of advertising directories "can easilyidentify PALS pharmacies and limit their clients to those pharmaciesthat are authenticated to be appropriately licensed,helping to protect the public health," the association said.