Pharmacy (shop)
Community pharmacies offer a unique added value by building direct relationships with their customers.
However, this practice has been criticized as potentially dangerous, especially by those who feel that only doctors can reliably assess contraindications, risk/benefit ratios, and an individual's overall suitability for use of medication.
[citation needed] There are instances where an online doctor issues a prescription, for a controlled substance to a "patient" s/he has never met.
In the United States, there has been a push to legalize the importation of medications from Canada and other countries,[citation needed] in order to reduce consumer costs.
While in most cases importation of prescription medications violates FDA regulations and federal laws, enforcement is generally targeted at international drug suppliers, rather than consumers.
[2] In recent years, many consumers in the US (and in other countries with high drug costs), have turned to licensed Internet pharmacies in India, Israel, and the UK, which often have even lower prices than in Canada.
[citation needed] In some countries, community pharmacists may be asked to compromise on their values and ethical issues may arise not only because of patient's or physician's request but may also because of their employers' intrusion.
[3] The International Pharmaceutical Federation has declared their vision of a community-based pharmacist:[4] Community-based pharmacists' responsibilities include: checking and dispensing of prescription drugs, providing advice on drug selection and usage to doctors and other health professionals and counseling patients in health promotion, disease prevention and the proper use of medicines.
[5] In most countries regulations govern how dispensaries may operate, with specific requirements for storage conditions, equipment and record keeping.
[15] Some consumers need drugs delivered to their home, perhaps by mail, and may select a pharmacy that offers that service.
[15] Up-to-date technology at a pharmacy can assist a patient with prescription reminders and alerts about potential negative drug interactions, thereby reducing medical errors.
[16][17] In the English NHS there were 438 million visits nationally to community pharmacies for health related reasons in 2015.
It will enable hospitals to digitally notify community pharmacies when patients are discharged and may need advice on taking new medicines, and about changes to their prescriptions.
According to a report by MBS Securities Company in 2023, the size of Vietnam's pharmaceutical market is about 6-7 billion USD,[27][28] with more than 3,000 modern chain drugstores.
