Established in 2002, the Canadian International Pharmacy Association ("CIPA") is a Canadian association of licensed retail pharmacy businesses offering mail order pharmacy services to Canadian and international consumers.
According to Managed Care, an industry magazine, about a million Americans a year get drugs from licensed Canadian pharmacies that are certified by CIPA. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), and five other sponsors have introduced legislation that would allow Americans with a U.S. prescription to order a 90-day supply of medicines from a licensed Canadian pharmacy.
CIPA has appeared frequently in the news as an advocate for safe online pharmacy practices and the lower prices of drugs available outside of the United States, though not without significant controversy,. CIPA standards and practices have been described as "likely becoming a major part of the health care system in the near future". In 2009, CIPA was invited to present at the United Nations Internet Governance Forum on "Medicines on the Web - Risks nd Benefits",. In February 2010, CIPA was selected by Google to be its official verifier of pharmacy advertisements in Canada, a role it held until April 2012. CIPA has also been selected as Canadian verification authority for Microsoft Bing and Yahoo! online pharmacy advertising.