20(a) Provide the name and full description of the community that the applicant is committing to serve

Prototypical answer:

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (“NABP”) is submitting this application with the support of international pharmacy coalitions and national pharmacy associations to ensure that the .PHARMACY gTLD shall serve as a trusted, hierarchical, and intuitive namespace for legitimate Internet pharmacies. NABP is committed to serving the community of legitimate online pharmacies and other prescription drug-related entities and educators, which include but are not limited to:

-Independent community pharmacies
-Chain drug stores and mass retailers offering pharmacy services
-Internet pharmacies
-Pharmacy benefits management companies
-Veterinary pharmacies
-Schools and colleges of pharmacy and continuing professional education providers
-Wholesale drug distributors
-Pharmaceutical manufacturers
-Durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) providers
-Prescription drug-related patient advocacy and consumer education groups
-Prescription drug information and pharmacy referral sites
-Medical professionals advertising services related to a prescription drug

At the hub of this community is patient safety. While NABP was established in 1904 to facilitate the transfer of pharmacist licenses between the states, the scope and breadth of the pharmacy community was expanded greatly with the passage of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FD&C Act”) of 1938. Previously, there were few safeguards in place to protect patients from unsafe or adulterated prescription drug products. The FD&C Act provided that no new drug could be marketed until proven safe for use. It also defined misbranding and adulteration, and included specific drug labeling requirements. The Durham-Humphrey Amendment of 1951 established two classes of drugs, prescription and over-the-counter; classified prescription drugs as unsafe for use except under medical supervision; and recognized pharmacists as instrumental in the distribution of drugs. Furthermore, state laws established rules for safe pharmacy practice, and set educational and competency requirements for pharmacist licensure.

This legal and regulatory framework in the U.S., and similar frameworks in other developed countries, was established to protect the public health, and forms the hub of this community. Illegal online drug sellers have found that it is highly profitable to circumvent these laws and standards, spurring the proliferation of rogue Internet drug outlets, many selling adulterated, unapproved, and even counterfeit drug products without a prescription or medical oversight. By establishing the .PHARMACY gTLD community, NABP and its global coalition aim to establish a delineated environment in which legitimate pharmacies and related entities can conduct business, and where consumers can find those entities that engender patient safety.

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