VAWD Accreditation Is Now NABP Drug Distributor Accreditation: How to Verify a Pharmaceutical Wholesaler in 4 Checks

VAWD (Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributors) is now called Drug Distributor Accreditation, run by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). It's a voluntary, three-year accreditation. It's a good sign. It's not the only one that matters. Under DSCSA, you can buy only from authorized trading partners, and for a wholesaler that comes down to proper licensure and reporting to FDA every year.

So "are they VAWD?" is the wrong first question. "Are they authorized?" is the right one. Here's how to check, in about ten minutes.

Why does this matter to a buyer?

It's the law. DSCSA says a dispenser's trading partners "may be only authorized trading partners" (21 U.S.C. 360eee-1(d)(3)). Pharmacies, clinics, and practices that buy and administer drugs are dispensers. And FDA says wholesale distributors "must be appropriately licensed and report licensure and other information to FDA annually to be authorized trading partners" (FDA).

In other words, if your supplier isn't authorized, the problem is yours too, not just theirs.

Check 1: Is it licensed in the state it ships from, and in yours?

Ask the wholesaler for its license numbers, then look them up yourself on each state board of pharmacy's license verification page. Check the shipping facility's state and your own. Don't accept a PDF of a license as the check. Look it up.

What to confirm:

• The license is active, not expired or suspended.
• The facility address matches where your product ships from.
• The license type covers prescription drug wholesale distribution.

Check 2: Is it in FDA's wholesale distributor reporting database?

FDA publishes a searchable database of the licensure information wholesale distributors and third-party logistics providers report each year. It's updated every business day. Each line is one license for one facility, so a wholesaler with several warehouses or state licenses will show up more than once (FDA).

Know its limits. FDA says reporting "does not mean the facility is licensed or approved by FDA or the facility is in compliance with applicable state and federal regulations." It's evidence the wholesaler is doing its annual reporting. It's not a seal of approval. That's why Check 1 comes first.

Check 3: Does it hold NABP Drug Distributor Accreditation?

This is the old VAWD. NABP introduced the program in 2005 as Verified-Accredited Wholesale Distributors (NABP). Here's what it involves today (NABP):

• It's voluntary, and it lasts three years.
• Applicants must pass NABP's prerequisite Supply Chain Inspection within the past 12 months. Since January 2022, the accreditation itself no longer includes a separate on-site visit (NABP).
• Applicants must hold current, active distributor licenses in every jurisdiction where they do business.
• The criteria cover licensure, facility, personnel, record keeping, authentication and verification, returned and outdated drugs, and policies and procedures.
• Some states may require NABP accreditation for licensure. NABP doesn't publish a list on that page, so check with your state.

Accreditation is a strong signal that someone outside the company has looked at its operations. Not having it isn't automatically a red flag, since it's voluntary. Having it doesn't replace Checks 1 and 2.

Check 4: Will it give you the DSCSA paperwork?

Under DSCSA, you can't accept ownership of a prescription drug unless the seller gives you the transaction information and transaction statement (21 U.S.C. 360eee-1(d)(1)). Here's what those documents contain.

Ask for a sample before your first order. If the answer is vague, you have your answer.

Red flags worth walking away from

• No license numbers, or "we'll send those later."
• A shipping address that doesn't match any license you can find.
• No transaction information or statement, or "you don't need that for this product."
• Prices that only make sense if something is wrong. Below-market pricing on a product that's on shortage everywhere else should make you ask where it came from.
• Pressure to pay before any of the above is answered.

None of these proves a supplier is illegitimate. Each one is a reason to stop and check before you buy.

How Premier answers these checks

Premier Pharma holds NABP Drug Distributor Accreditation (formerly VAWD) and supplies licensed clinics, surgery centers, physician offices, and pharmacies. Every Premier order comes with the DSCSA transaction information and statement. Our trading partner verification guide covers the DSCSA side of these checks in more detail. For more on what's changing under DSCSA, see our guide to the small dispenser exemption. Open a free account. Credential review typically takes 1–2 business days.

Sources

• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Drug Distributor Accreditation.
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. NABP Announces Streamlined Distributor Application Process. October 13, 2021.
• Food and Drug Administration. Annual Reporting by Prescription Drug Wholesale Distributors and Third-Party Logistics Providers. Content current as of June 12, 2024.
• Food and Drug Administration. Wholesale Distributor and Third-Party Logistics Provider Reporting Database.
• 21 U.S.C. 360eee-1 (FD&C Act section 582). U.S. Code, via GovInfo.