Pharmacy Industry

A pharmacy, also called a chemist in Britain or a drugstore in North America and known formally in the industry as retail pharmacy, is where most pharmacists practice the profession of dispensing medicine, typically through a retail storefront built around a dispensary where medications are stored and dispensed. In North America, drugstores commonly sell not only medicines but also confectionery, cosmetics, office supplies, toys, hair care products, magazines, and occasionally refreshments and groceries alongside their pharmacy counter. The retail pharmacy trade embodies a distinct dichotomy at the center of the profession, employing health professionals who are simultaneously retailers, a combination that separates it from pharmaceutical manufacturing, which develops and produces the medicines pharmacies dispense rather than selling them directly to the public.