The Doctor of Pharmacy Association (DPA) has welcomed the Gazette of India notification on ‘Pharmacy Practice Regulations 2015’ released on 16th January 2015 and hailed that new pharmacy practice regulations will benefit the patients in a big way in the coming days.

According to DPA, these regulations are the first comprehensive changes to the outdated laws governing pharmacy. These regulations are the need of the hour as they would enforce ethical guidelines in the pharmacy practice to enhance the prospects of pharmacy profession as a whole.

Katam Sai Kumar, president of DPA says, “We are quite hopeful that pharmacy practice regulations will add new dimension to pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical care. The pharmacy practice regulations will benefit the patients in a big way as it will draw an ethics code for the pharmacist to be followed as a part of his/her responsibility to educate patients about the medicines prescribed by the doctor. The pharmacist will be able to support patient in use of medicine besides taking part in clinical decision-making.”

Moreover the Pharmacy Practice Regulations 2015 notified in the gazette of India are regarded significant as it encapsulates entire gamut of standards related to a practicing pharmacist such as uniform code of pharmacy ethics, responsibilities of pharmacist towards patient, another registered pharmacist and the public in general, details of position title and job responsibilities of pharmacist, senior pharmacist, chief pharmacist, community pharmacist and drug information pharmacist.

More so, the pharmacists and professionals in this area also feel that regulation of pharmacy profession is important to improve quality of health care, to ensure that pharmacists maintain high standards in their duty, to reduce cost of health care and to inhibit criminal abuse of medicines.

As per analysts, the clauses included in the new pharmacy practice regulation are quite interesting. It has given teeth to the pharmacists because these clauses will now allow a registered pharmacist to review the patient record and each prescription presented for supply for the purpose of promoting therapeutic appropriateness. Moreover the clauses also allow a registered pharmacist engaged in the practice of pharmacy profession to give priority to the interests of patients.

The personal financial interests of a registered pharmacist will not conflict with the medical interests of patients. According to the new clause, it also allows a registered pharmacist to announce his fees before rendering service and not after. Remuneration received for such services shall be in the form and amount specifically announced to the patient at the time the service is rendered. It is unethical to enter into a contract of "no cure no payment".

Another key aspect of the Pharmacy Practice Regulations 2015 is that the pharmacist is authorised (as a healthcare professional) to undertake process and outcome research, health promotion and education and provide health information. It also allows the registered pharmacists to undertake the pharmacoepidemiological studies.