Easy Requirements to open a pharmacy

Requirements to open a pharmacy vary from country to country and from province to province.

Like other businesses, relating to health the requirements to open a pharmacy store must be met for the effective running of your pharmacy.

Requirements to open a pharmacy

Often time, people are faced with different challenges on the prerequisites to open a pharmacy outlet. there are many things that must be considered before executing such a plan of owning a pharmacy.

The knowledge of the requirements to open a pharmacy will equip you more with the clever approaches to be taken in other to have a seamless establishment process.

In this context, few countries are considered the requirements to open a pharmacy. Is important to consider the following contents below before you venture into a pharmacy or drug store outlet.

Consult a mentor

Mentorship is very essential in starting up any establishment consider reaching out to some people that have been in the business before asking questions and tapping from their wisdom that have been guiding the pharmacy.

Pharmacy Business planning

Is no doubt that when you fail to plan you plan to fail, research the nature of the pharmacy store you intend to open, and seek to know the requirements to open a pharmacy as such you learn the don’ts and dos of the pharmacy operation.

In the same vein through pharmacy business planning, you know the nature of the establishment you intend to have. In addition, research on profit aspect and what can make you stand out from others that have been there before you.

Consider your market target, location, or positioning those are essential factors in business planning. In nutshell have an effective business plan, which consists of:

Business description
Competitive analysis
Market strategies
Operation and management plans
Financial Projections

Your financial capability

This is where most entrepreneurs get it wrong, they plan regardless of their financial status they start up a pharmacy today and want to see it boom like someone that started twenty years ago.

Let your finances determine the level of your store then create room for growth never forget that nothing is too big or too small to start with.

Consider your operational requirements to open a pharmacy

Considering the type of business structure you desire for your pharmacy, lies on the amount of legal liability you desire and how much you are willing to put on ongoing costs of formation and administration, according to Entrepreneur.

Licenses

This is a very crucial part since most people desire to have a pharmacy store without being a pharmacist.

So, endeavor to have your licenses available or go in partnership with someone that has in other to keep your pharmacy business fast on track.

Below are some of the licenses that may be required of you before embarking on pharmacy business depending on your country of residence:

Pharmacy council of Nigeria accreditation
State Board of Pharmacy Permit
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Number
National Provider Identifier (NPI) Number
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) Number
Employer Identification Number (EIN)

Requirements to Open a Pharmacy for different countries

Different countries, have different rules and laid down principles and qualifications to open a pharmacy business. Let’s see some of the countries what they have in common

Requirements To Open A Pharmacy in Nigeria

Below are the pharmacy registration procedures in Nigeria and steps for approval from the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria ( PCN )

INCORPORATE A COMPANY NAME

Submit them at the nearest c.a.c office

A wholesale outlet must have a pharmacist as a shareholder. A copy of the license of the pharmacist shareholder to incorporate a pharmacy name company

CONSIDER A CONDUCIVE LOCATION

Find a location that

must be at least 30sqm for retail, 50 sqm for wholesale and an office plus a warehouse
site must be 200 meters from any nearby registered pharmacy
write to PCN on your letter headed paper for location approval after paying the location approval fee of n10k for retail and n20k for wholesale
site must not be in a market or a motor park
a plaza can have two to three premises

AFTER LOCATION APPROVAL

For A Pharmacist Owned Business

SUBMIT:

Application letter for premises registration
C.A.C certificate of incorporation
The forms co2 and co7 from CAC
Superintendent pharmacist license
Resignation letter and acceptance of resignation letter from the place of the last appointment as a Supt pharmacist (or NYSC discharge certificate for a post nysc pharmacist)
A letter stating that you have only one full-time pharmacist job
Pay inspection and registration fee into PCN account
Fill and submit forms b and j from PCN

Then Wait for approval which will take months depending on their workload

For A Non-Pharmacist Owned Business

The above-mentioned requirements are compulsory inclusion of below:

Appointment And Acceptance Of Appointment Letters
A Letter Promising To Give The Superintendent Pharmacist A Free Hand
A Legal Agreement Between The Superintendent Pharmacist And Th Managing Director
Letter Informing Pcn Of Appointment Of A Supt. Pharmacist

Inspector’s requirements

Medical Reference Books
A Pharmacist Office
An Air conditioner
Poison Book And Box
Refrigerator

After this stressful race and the approval comes to rejoice and start selling

If premises was not approved, write an appeal letter stating your case to the PCN registrar

You will also like to read how much does it cost to open a pharmacy

Requirements To Open A Pharmacy in Canada

The pharmaceutical sector is one of the largest industries in Canada, meeting the requirements to open a pharmacy in Canada is worthwhile.

If you intend to start a pharmacy or other types of drug stores in Canada, you are bound to comply with the Drug Good Manufacturing Practices and Establishment Licensing Enforcement Directive. Also, pharmacists must pass the exam organized by the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC).

Below is the step by step approach to open a pharmacy store in Canada:

Step 1:

Submit an Application for Certificate of Accreditation as a Pharmacy

This must be done at least 45 days prior to the proposed opening date of the new pharmacy and includes:

The application for Certificate of Accreditation as a Pharmacy
Application fee:

$1766.19 (incl. HST) if your opening date falls between May 10th and November 9th
$1236.22 (incl. HST) if your opening date falls between Nov 10th and May 9th
an additional fee is required if the pharmacy will also operate a Remote Dispensing Location (RDL)

The Director of a Corporation Declaration of Good Character for every pharmacist director of the operating corporation
A copy of the articles of incorporation for the operating corporation (only required if the corporation has never operated a pharmacy in Canada)
Copy of the share certificates issued for the operating corporation (only required if the corporation has never operated a pharmacy in Ontario)
A signed copy of the Data License Agreement (“DLA”)
A pharmacy floor plan for OCP approval labeled with the following details:

Total square footage of the area to be accredited – if the pharmacy is part of a larger area, clearly delineate the pharmacy portion and identify how the accredited area is kept secure/physically separate from the non-accredited area

Total square footage of dispensary (area behind the counter)
Location of required two sinks in the dispensary
The location of an acoustically private consultation area
Location of the compounding area

The Application processing time varies and your proposed date of opening is subject to change depending on the board’s decision.

Step 2: Scheduling an Assessment

After the approval of your application, a Community Operations Advisor will contact the Designated Manager of the pharmacy to schedule an assessment prior to the proposed opening date.

The Assessment is done by the appointed advisor who visits your location and checks for all relevancies once a satisfactory assessment of the pharmacy is reached, you hope for the Issuance of a Certificate of Accreditation, which enables a seamless running of your pharmacy.

it will interest you to read HOW TO BECOME A PHARMACIST IN CANADA

How To Start A Pharmacy Store In India

There are many requirements to open a pharmacy, the same applies to India. It is easier to own a pharmacy store in India if you are a pharmacist, in the same vein a non-pharmacist can own one if he is willing to give it a chance.

Like other countries, you must go through a legal process in order to obtain the accreditation to run your pharmacy business effectively. In this article, we summarize how to start a pharmacy store in India.

Firstly, you need to find a location to site your store, which will be 10-20 square meters in size.

To be eligible to own a pharmacy store one should have for non-pharmacist or be

A registered pharmacist approved by the pharmacy department of India
Have one year in dealing with drugs
A person who has passed secondary school leaving certificate (S.L.C) with 4 years of experience in dealing in drugs, specially approved by the department of drug control for the purpose.

Is essential to note that the requirements to open a pharmacy store in India, vary from state to state.

However, below is a suggestive list of some of the requirements to open a pharmacy store in India

Pharmacy License application form in the prescribed format

Covering Letter with the intent of the application signed with the name and designation of the applicant
Challan of fee deposited for obtaining drug licenses
Declaration form in the format prescribed
Key plan(Blueprint) for the premises
Site plan (Blueprint) for the premises
The basis of possession of the premises
Identity proof and photos of owner/partners of a medical store
Proof of ownership of the premises, if rented
A Proof of constitution of the company(Incorporation Certificate / MOA/ AOA / Partnership Deed)
Affidavit of non-conviction of proprietor/partners/directors under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
Affidavit of a registered pharmacist or competent person working full time
Appointment letter of registered pharmacist/competent person, if the employed person.

You will also be required to have the following items listed below before inspection.

Medical Reference Books
A Pharmacist Office
An Air conditioner
Poison Book And Box
Refrigerator

These documents ascertain your eligibility for a pharmacy store license. After completing all requirements, the inspector has to visit your office and equally go through the approval of your pharmacy store.

Requirements to open a pharmacy (conclusion)

The different requirements to open a pharmacy vary from country to country and in most cases, any with good financial standing can open a pharmacy store but must have a pharmacist who will be readily available for dispensing, consultation, and other professional duties.

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chibueze uchegbu Author

Chibueze Uchegbu is a certified medical physiologist with a great passion for healthy living.