GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced that the company is forming a Community Pharmacy Team consisting of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals who will be dedicated to serving the nation’s community pharmacists beginning on March 28, 2011. GSK’s Community Pharmacy Liaisons will provide information and tools to help community pharmacists communicate with their patients about chronic diseases and the appropriate use of medicines and vaccines.

“Our research shows that community pharmacists want to spend more time engaging with their patients, and many patients would welcome more counselling about their medication,” says David Moules, VP Channel Development & Sales. “The GSK Community Pharmacy team will provide community pharmacists with education and tools to support those important patient conversations.”  

In developing the new team, GSK consulted with community pharmacists to better understand their needs and to ensure that the new team will provide a truly helpful service.

“It is refreshing to see a major pharmaceutical manufacturer take such a proactive approach in their support of the retail trade,” says Michael Mastromonica, R.Ph, assistant vice president-Pharmacy, Costco Wholesale. “We look forward to working with the GSK Community Pharmacy Team to develop innovative and patient friendly initiatives that we can bring to our members.”

GSK’s commitment to community pharmacy has been demonstrated over time.  The following projects, supported by GSK, highlight the impact that pharmacist interventions have on improving patient outcomes and lowering healthcare costs:

The Asheville Project helped city employees in Asheville, NC manage their diabetes and reach wellness goals with the successful interventions of pharmacists.

The Diabetes Ten City Challenge with the American Pharmacist Association Foundation, in which employers in ten US cities worked with pharmacists to provide diabetes counselling and education to their employees.

With the launch of this new team, GSK’s commitment to community pharmacy becomes even stronger.

GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.