Direct Relief International Earns Accreditation by National Association of Boards of Pharmacy®
First Nonprofit Approved as Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributor®
SANTA BARBARA, CA -- Direct Relief International has been approved by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) as a Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributor® (VAWD®). The organization is the first nonprofit organization in the United States to receive this accreditation.
“The integrity of the drug supply is essential to public health and our work, so we are pleased to be the first nonprofit organization to obtain this accreditation by the NABP”, said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe. “It represents our commitment to the highest standard of care, which is no different for us as a nonprofit organization with a humanitarian mission than it is for a commercial enterprise.”
With this accreditation, Direct Relief joins industry giants Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen, Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS, WalMart, several research-based pharmaceutical companies, and other commercial enterprises involved in the supply chain to distribute prescription drugs. A full list of VAWD-accredited companies is posted in the Accreditation/VAWD section of the NABP Web site: www.nabp.net.
According to the NABP, VAWD was established in 2004 to help protect the public from the threat of counterfeit drugs affecting the U.S. drug supply. NABP developed VAWD accreditation after the Food & Drug Administration requested that the association update its Model Rules for the Licensure of Wholesale Distributors, which is part of the Model State Pharmacy Act and Model Rules of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
Founded in 1948, Direct Relief was among the first nonprofit organizations to develop humanitarian medical assistance programs involving prescription medications. Many of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies donate medicines for use in Direct Relief’s charitable programs. The organization has been a licensed pharmacy wholesaler in California for more than 40 years.
Direct Relief’s extensive medical donations programs require strict compliance with state, federal, foreign country regulations as well as international guidelines. In addition to obtaining the VAWD designation, Direct Relief also has recently completed a successful implementation of SAP’s leading business software ECC 6.0 as its core information technology enterprise system.
“Although our humanitarian purpose differs from that of a commercial enterprise, many of the functions we must perform are identical,” said Tighe. “For those functions, we seek the best tools and use the best, most efficient practices because they serve the mission, inspire confidence, and make best use of our resources to help people."
About the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®) is the independent, international, and impartial association that assists its member boards and jurisdictions in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards for the purpose of protecting the public health.
About VAWD
The Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributors (VAWD) program provides assurance that the wholesale distribution facility operates legitimately, is validly licensed in good standing, and is employing security and best practices for safely distributing prescription drugs from manufacturers to pharmacies and other institutions. Applicants for VAWD accreditation undergo a criteria compliance review, licensure verification, a survey, background checks, and screening through the NABP Clearinghouse.
About Direct Relief International
Founded in 1948, Direct Relief International is a Santa Barbara, California–based nonprofit organization focused on improving the quality of life by bringing critically needed medicines and supplies to local healthcare providers worldwide. Direct Relief works in 59 countries and has delivered more than $1 billion in privately funded humanitarian medical aid to health professionals serving impoverished communities since 2000. Direct Relief is one of two charities ranked by Forbes that has received a perfect fundraising efficiency score for seven consecutive years and is ranked by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as California’s largest international nonprofit organization based on private support. For more information, please visit www.DirectRelief.org.
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