Celebrating 15 Years of Advancing Patient Safety
December 3, 2025
This year commemorates the 15th anniversary of Safe Pharmacy – a 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, Safe Pharmacy 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. The URL was later changed to safe.pharmacy.
2012
Our 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, you can search a database of 10,000+ drug disposal sites nationwide, as well as the site hours and the types of products they accept.
2019
Our website, safe.pharmacy was redesigned to enhance access to our resources.
2021
We collaborated with Song for Charlie, a nonprofit charity, to create a campaign about the dangers of buying from unverified online pharmacies.
2022
We fully rebranded as Safe Pharmacy, streamlining our 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 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 was established with 4 primary objectives, and it continues to underpin patient safety in each area.
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 NABP’s YouTube channel. We also provide information on how pharmacists help patients.
3. Preventing drug misuse.
Our page on preventing drug misuse shares information to help identify opioid misuse, how to administer overdose rescue drugs like naloxone, and how to find help for your loved ones. 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, 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, Safe Pharmacy has demonstrated its commitment to consumer-focused care that prioritizes transparency and safe practices, supporting our mission to protect patient safety. As an initiative of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), we have 120+ years of experience protecting patients to bring to Safe Pharmacy. From a weekly, informative consumer newsletter to our current website and blog posts, Safe Pharmacy has maintained an unwavering commitment to keeping patients safe and informed. Explore the tools and resources throughout our website.