First Mailorder Pharmacy Accredited by IMPAC

The first mailorder pharmacy, CanadaDrugs.com, has been accredited by IMPAC. IMPAC is promotes international standards for mailorder pharmacies, has an on-site survey process to verify compliance and awards accreditation for two years. This accreditation allows consumers and physicians to select high quality pharmacies.

CanadaDrugs.com in Winnipeg, Manitoba is the first mailorder pharmacy to be accredited by the Internet and Mailorder Pharmacy Accreditation Commission„§ (IMPAC„§). CanadaDrugs.com is a mailorder pharmacy that processes prescriptions seven days a week to consumers in Canada and the United States.

CanadaDrugs.com was fully accredited on Tuesday June 17th, 2003. According to Robert Fraser, B.Sc.(Pharm), Director of Pharmacy, CanadaDrugs.com decided to be accredited to help consumers discern quality providers. ¡§IMPAC„§ accreditation confirms CanadaDrugs.com¡¦s adherence to a very detailed, recognized quality assurance program through its policies, procedures, business practices, and the provision of high quality, safe and affordable drugs.¡¨

IMPAC„§ accreditation means a mailorder pharmacy is in full compliance with 8 core standards and 91 required quality elements. With IMPAC„§ accreditation, the pharmacy has earned the right to put the IMPAC„§ seal on their website. The name of the mailorder pharmacy will also appear on IMPAC„§¡¦s list of accredited pharmacies on the website of NorthAmerican-Pharmotherapeutic Consultants Association, www.na-pca.org. Fraser notes ¡§Fully accredited mailorder pharmacies that have met all of these standards will increase consumer confidence regarding quality, as well as help validate and strengthen the industry.¡¨

Accreditation also allows the mailorder pharmacy to use non-counterfeitable seals on their packaging of prescriptions drugs. This seal will be easily recognizable by the post office, government agencies and consumers so that they are assured that the package is from an accredited pharmacy.

According to IMPAC„§s Executive Director, Jennifer Walkowiak, R.N., M.S., ¡§the survey is a very comprehensive and rigorous evaluation which will separate those pharmacies working to provide high quality, from those that do not have excellent clinical and operational processes in place.¡¨ To determine accreditation, the mailorder pharmacy undergoes an intensive on-site, two day survey by trained surveyors which includes a pharmacist on the survey team.

IMPAC„§ surveyors conduct pharmacy staff interviews, evaluate pharmacy operations, inspect the physical facility and critically review documents, internal policies, and human resource files. There must be full compliance to all standards. IMPAC„§¡¦s comprehensive standards encompass quality assurance, pharmacy management, confidentiality, consumer safety, customer satisfaction, health information technology, website content, shipping and handling, and customer call center functions.
Walkowiak strongly advises that ¡§consumers take a buyer beware approach. It behooves persons searching the internet for mailorder pharmacies to know what quality measures the pharmacy is making on behalf of the customer, before making purchase is even considered¡¨. Walkowiak further recommends that potential mailorder pharmacy consumers check the www.na-pac.org website, to determine if a pharmacy has been accredited.

IMPAC„§ was developed in response to concerns expressed by consumers and the government about the quality and safety of prescription drugs from mailorder pharmacies. ¡§Before IMPAC„§ was created, there was no assurance to consumers, physicians, regulators and insurers that any mailorder pharmacy met a set of established quality standards, whether the pharmacy was located in the United States, Mexico or Canada¡¨ notes Walkowiak. IMPAC„§ accreditation is available to mailorder pharmacies internationally.

IMPAC„§ is endorsed by NorthAmerican-Pharmotherapeutic Consultants Association (NorthAmerican-PCA), which is an international, professional association of physicians and pharmacists. NorthAmerican-PCA was established to support collaboration between Canada, Mexico and the United States on pharmotherapeutic management and economics, to promote access to affordable prescription drugs, and to promote quality standards for mailorder pharmacies. Executive Director of NorthAmerican-PCA, Dana Noble, RN., MBA states ¡§as a professional association, we believe that physicians and pharmacists should take the lead on setting standards of pharmotherapeutic management, and holding our colleagues accountable to the highest clinical practices.¡¨

¡§I applaud IMPAC„§. It¡¦s a shame, but not surprising that this private effort ¡V like that which IMPAC„§ leads ¡V are way ahead of our own federal agencies that are sworn to protect the health and safety of the American people.¡¨ Congressman Gil Gutknecht (R-MN). ###