This year commemorates the 15th anniversary of NABP’s Safe Pharmacy initiative – a key milestone in our efforts to provide patients with reliable information on how to recognize verified pharmacy websites, dispose of unwanted prescriptions, prevent drug misuse, and more.
Launched in 2010 under the brand AWARxE, the Safe Pharmacy initiative was created to educate the public about prescription drug abuse and online pharmacy fraud. With an abundance of information – and misinformation – available online, it can be hard to distinguish exactly which websites can be trusted.
What started as a public education campaign has since grown into a comprehensive patient safety resource. Here is a timeline of Safe Pharmacy actions:
-
2010:
NABP begins operating the AWARErx.org website to educate consumers about prescription drug abuse at a national level.
-
2012:
An accompanying email newsletter was launched – AWARxE Prescription Drug Safety News – which was aimed at a consumer audience and later renamed Safe Pharmacy News.
-
2014:
The Drug Disposal Locator Tool was created as a comprehensive, easy-to-use resource for patients to find safe prescription drug disposal sites in their areas. Today, patients can search a database of 10,000+ drug disposal sites nationwide, as well as the site hours and the types of products they accept.
-
2014:
NABP became the registry operator for the .pharmacy generic top-level domain. Thus, awarex.org became www.AWARErx.pharmacy.
-
2019:
NABP shifted the website to a consumer-facing site at safe.pharmacy, enhancing access and usability.
-
2021:
NABP collaborated with Song for Charlie, a nonprofit charity, to create a patient outreach campaign about the dangers of buying from unverified online pharmacies.
-
2022:
The initiative was fully rebranded as Safe Pharmacy, streamlining its tools and messages under one unified platform. Additionally, the Safe Pharmacy Instagram account was launched to increase audience reach and connect with consumers.
-
2024:
The #BuySafely Education Kit was introduced as a resource for boards of pharmacy and other organizations to spread awareness about the importance of purchasing medications from accredited pharmacies. The kit includes video assets, flyers, social media posts, and a newsletter article.
In the past 15 years, Safe Pharmacy has identified over 10,000 safe medication disposal locations, found over 40,000 illegal pharmacy websites, and facilitated over 3 million searches of the Safe Site Search Tool and the Drug Disposal Locator Tool.
10,000
Safe Medication Disposal Locations Identified
40,000
Illegal Pharmacy Websites Discovered
3,000,000
Searches of the Safe Site Search Tool and the
Drug Disposal Locator Tool
Safe Pharmacy’s Primary Objectives
Safe Pharmacy was established with 4 primary objectives to support consumers, and it continues to underpin patient safety in each area. As a pharmacy professional, you can share these resources with your patients and community.
1. Educating about safe online medication purchases.
The Safe Site Search tool offers a quick and easy way to see if an online pharmacy is safe, but our Buy Safely page also provides information on warning signs to spot an unsafe online pharmacy, and discusses the risks of buying from unverified sources. We also provide tips for parents to talk with teens about buying medication online.
2. Promoting appropriate medication use.
Our Safe Use page details best practices for using medication safely, including tips for over-the-counter (OTC) medication use, how to prevent medication errors, and tips for caregivers. You can find safety videos like Understanding Your Prescription Labels on our YouTube channel. We also provide information on how pharmacists help patients.
3. Preventing drug misuse
Our preventing drug misuse page shares information to help identify opioid misuse, how to administer overdose rescue drugs like naloxone, and how to find help for your patients. We also offer practical tools to avoid illicit drug sales online and on social media. Our video on naloxone won a Silver Digital Health Award for Digital Health Media Video Publications in 2025.
4. Fostering safe drug disposal practices by listing safe disposal sites.
Along with offering consumers the ability to easily search for safe drug disposal sites in their community, we also provide advice on disposing of medication safely at home and how to donate medicines and medical devices instead of throwing them away.
In every era of Safe Pharmacy, NABP has demonstrated its commitment to consumer-focused care that prioritizes transparency and safe practices. From a weekly, informative consumer newsletter to our current website and blog posts, NABP’s Safe Pharmacy initiative has maintained an unwavering commitment to our mission to keep patients safe and informed. To explore the tools and resources, visit safe.pharmacy.
This blog was adapted from an article that originally appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of Innovations.
