Lessons Pharmacy Practice in India Should Adopt From Advanced Nations: A Review

In India, pharmacy practice is still at a developing stage with the majority of the graduates taking the industry pathway. Currently, there are only a few pharmacists who have been board-certified by the Board of Pharmacy Specialities (BPS), which is the most established pharmacist board certification program globally. Even though India is the largest global exporter of generic medications, pharmacy practice is yet to gain stronghold within its healthcare scenarios. In this article, we aim to examine the development of pharmacy practice from a global viewpoint and scale down to the recent modern practice, particularly in advanced nations. Furthermore, we assess the ways through which pharmacy practice can be enhanced in India. Notably, with several pharmacy practice graduates completing their studies in India yearly, pharmacy practice is projected to significantly grow in the coming years. Gaining a proper understanding of and embracing advanced clinical pharmacy practices will improve the domain of pharmacy practice among both junior and senior pharmacists. Moreover, enrolling in and receiving international accreditations such as the Board of Pharmacy Specializations (BPS) will validate the practice standards being offered in India as compared to other developed countries, i.e., the US. The main objective of this review is to assess various means through which pharmacy practice can be improved in India.