PITTSBURGH — Giant Eagle Pharmacy has received full Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation from health care standards body URAC.

Giant Eagle Inc. said this week that the designation attests to the quality and service provided by its specialty pharmacy operation. Overall, the food and drug retailer has more than 200 pharmacy locations.

“Attaining URAC accreditation is especially exciting given our ability to offer specialty pharmacy customers the unique convenience of our retail pharmacy presence,” Mark Doerr, senior vice president of pharmacy at Giant Eagle, said in a statement. “Combining this high level of specialty service and the personal support available in-store has helped to encourage medication adherence, which is critically important to patients taking specialty medications.”

Giant Eagle Specialty Pharmacy provides patients personal support as they manage such complex medical conditions as hepatitis C, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, HIV, human growth hormone deficiency and osteoporosis. Patients can have their specialty medications delivered to their home or pick them up at a Giant Eagle pharmacy, where they can get face-to-face support with injection training, medication counseling and other specialty drug needs.

“By receiving URAC accreditation, Giant Eagle Pharmacy has demonstrated a commitment to quality health care,” stated Kylanne Green, president and chief executive officer of Washington-based URAC. “Quality health care is crucial to our nation’s welfare, and it is important to have organizations that are willing to measure themselves against national standards and undergo rigorous evaluation by an independent accrediting body.”

Overall, Giant Eagle has more than 420 stores in western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.