LegitScript
Encyclopedia
LegitScript is a verification and monitoring service for online pharmacies
and the only such service recognised by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
as adhering to its standards aside from the NABP's own VIPPS program.
LegitScript was founded by John Horton, who was a White House
aide on drug policy
issues from 2002 to 2007. The organization's main office was initially located in Arlington, Virginia, but is currently identified as being in Portland, Oregon
. The company is identified by the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies as a founding member.
In July 2008, LegitScript and KnujOn
released a report about 150 websites that offer to sell anabolic steroid
s over the Internet without requiring a prescription.
This report was also featured in the New York Times, as well as on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360. The report resulted in the termination of large underground steroids rings and controversy at pro-steroids forums. LegitScript and KnujOn also released two reports analyzing Microsoft
and Yahoo sponsored search results for Internet pharmacies., Subsequently, Google
, Yahoo and Microsoft announced that they were updating their advertising policies related to Internet pharmacies, and would in the future require that Internet pharmacies be approved by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
's VIPPS program. Shortly thereafter, LegitScript announced that it would be helping Google implement the new policy by monitoring all prescription drug and pharmacy ads for the search engine.
In November 2008, LegitScript reported that it had shut down 500 "rogue" Internet pharmacies by notifying their ISPs and domain registrars. In May 2010, the company released a report regarding over 7,000 displaying a forged pharmacy license, indicating that it worked with 11 different domain name registrars to shut down the websites.
In March 2010, consumer protection website SiteJabber announced that it would begin integrating LegitScript's legitimacy determinations into its Internet pharmacy ratings. In May 2010, the Web of Trust
(MyWot) announced a similar initiative in which LegitScript Internet pharmacy legitimacy determinations would be integrated into MyWOT's reputation rankings.
As of September 2010, LegitScript's website indicated that LegitScript had approved over 320 online pharmacy websites as meeting LegitScript's standards, and documented over 48,000 "rogue" online pharmacy websites.
Online pharmacy
Online pharmacies, Internet pharmacies, or Mail Order Pharmacies are pharmacies that operate over the Internet and send the orders to customers.Online or internet pharmacies might include:...
and the only such service recognised by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy is an international association which assists state licensing boards in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards relating to pharmacies...
as adhering to its standards aside from the NABP's own VIPPS program.
LegitScript was founded by John Horton, who was a White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
aide on drug policy
Drug policy
A drug policy most often refers to a government's attempt to combat the negative effects of drug addiction and misuse in its society. Governments try to combat drug addiction with policies which address both the demand and supply of drugs, as well as policies which can mitigate the harms of drug...
issues from 2002 to 2007. The organization's main office was initially located in Arlington, Virginia, but is currently identified as being in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. The company is identified by the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies as a founding member.
In July 2008, LegitScript and KnujOn
KnujOn
KnujOn, "no junk" spelled backwards and pronounced "new john", is a project involved in Internet security. KnujOn targets spam at its root, attacking the illicit activities that spammers derive their revenue from. To that end, KnujOn runs an automated spam reporting tool.- History :KnujOn was...
released a report about 150 websites that offer to sell anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroid
Anabolic steroids, technically known as anabolic-androgen steroids or colloquially simply as "steroids", are drugs that mimic the effects of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They increase protein synthesis within cells, which results in the buildup of cellular tissue ,...
s over the Internet without requiring a prescription.
This report was also featured in the New York Times, as well as on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360. The report resulted in the termination of large underground steroids rings and controversy at pro-steroids forums. LegitScript and KnujOn also released two reports analyzing Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
and Yahoo sponsored search results for Internet pharmacies., Subsequently, Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, Yahoo and Microsoft announced that they were updating their advertising policies related to Internet pharmacies, and would in the future require that Internet pharmacies be approved by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy is an international association which assists state licensing boards in developing, implementing, and enforcing uniform standards relating to pharmacies...
's VIPPS program. Shortly thereafter, LegitScript announced that it would be helping Google implement the new policy by monitoring all prescription drug and pharmacy ads for the search engine.
In November 2008, LegitScript reported that it had shut down 500 "rogue" Internet pharmacies by notifying their ISPs and domain registrars. In May 2010, the company released a report regarding over 7,000 displaying a forged pharmacy license, indicating that it worked with 11 different domain name registrars to shut down the websites.
In March 2010, consumer protection website SiteJabber announced that it would begin integrating LegitScript's legitimacy determinations into its Internet pharmacy ratings. In May 2010, the Web of Trust
Web of trust
In cryptography, a web of trust is a concept used in PGP, GnuPG, and other OpenPGP-compatible systems to establish the authenticity of the binding between a public key and its owner. Its decentralized trust model is an alternative to the centralized trust model of a public key infrastructure ,...
(MyWot) announced a similar initiative in which LegitScript Internet pharmacy legitimacy determinations would be integrated into MyWOT's reputation rankings.
As of September 2010, LegitScript's website indicated that LegitScript had approved over 320 online pharmacy websites as meeting LegitScript's standards, and documented over 48,000 "rogue" online pharmacy websites.