The generic top-level domain (gTLD) ''.pharmacy'' was launched by the

National Association of Boards of Pharmacy The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy''. The NABP membership is composed of 54 active members and 12 associate members. Active member boards include all 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands ...

(NABP) in 2014. The goal was to "provide consumers around the world a means for identifying safe, legal, and ethical online pharmacies and related resources". A review by the NABP of more than 10,800 websites selling prescription drugs "found that nearly 97% do not follow pharmacy laws and standards established to protect the public health".

Criticism

The impartiality of the domain was questioned, because

Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 countries. The company was founded in 1876 by, and named after, Colonel ...

, Merck & Co., and

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

are the main contributors to the NABP application. Previously, the application was challenged by

Public Citizen Public Citizen is a non-profit, progressive consumer rights advocacy group and think tank based in Washington, D.C., United States, with a branch in Austin, Texas. Lobbying efforts Public Citizen advocates before all three branches of the Unit ...

Knowledge Ecology International Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) is a non-governmental organization. It was founded by Ralph Nader in 1995 and was then called Consumer Project on Technology. It deals with issues related to the effects of intellectual property on public heal ...

, and the

Canadian International Pharmacy Association Established in 2002, the Canadian International Pharmacy Association ("CIPA") is a Canadian association of licensed pharmacy businesses offering mail order pharmacy services to Canadian and international patients. CIPA members sell pharmaceuticals ...

.Can The Dot Pharmacy New Generic Domain Be Impartial?
��'' Intellectual Property Watch'' (July 7, 2014)

References

Internet properties established in 2014 Generic top-level domains Online retailers Pharmacies

External links

* {{compu-domain-stub