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World Pharmacists Day: A groundbreaking scientific review conducted by Laboratoires Pierre Fabre demonstrates the benefits of pharmacists’ involvement for both patients and the healthcare system.
Castres, September 22, 2026 — September 25 marks World Pharmacists Day, an opportunity for Laboratoires Pierre Fabre to highlight the findings of an international report based on 83 PubMed publications spanning the last 10 years. This rigorous analysis provides a multidimensional demonstration—clinical, preventive, and economic—of the impact of pharmacists’ interventions throughout the patient journey.
These interventions are both varied and numerous: providing patients with information and support regarding their condition and pathology, educating them on the use of medical devices, conducting preventive and screening initiatives, and identifying and resolving prescription drug-related issues. This scientific review quantifies, for the first time, the real, measurable impact of these everyday actions.
In particular, it demonstrates that pharmacists’ interventions represent a profitable investment for the healthcare system, with measurable and quantifiable benefits in conditions as common as diabetes, asthma, and COPD, as well as in the area of vaccination.
This scientific review was previewed at the “Amphis de l’Officine” events organized by the FSPF (Federation ofFrench Pharmaceutical Unions) last June. The National Pharmacists’ Congress, to be held in Nantes on September 27, will provide an opportunity to present its full conclusions and future prospects.
1-Solid scientific evidence on chronic diseases
The data is particularly robust for the most common conditions:
- Diabetes: Patients who undergo a medication review are three times more likely to achieve their glycemic target, with a significant reduction in HbA1c ranging from 0.4% to 1.9%.
- Hypertension: A 9.9 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure, and a 2.7-fold higher likelihood of reaching blood pressure targets thanks to a medication review
- Asthma: Four times fewer hospitalizations in the group monitored by the pharmacist, as well as a significant improvement in asthma control and respiratory function
- Dyslipidemia: Patients who received a medication review were nearly twice as likely to achieve target cholesterol levels.
2-Treatment adherence: 50% of patients with chronic diseases do not adhere to their treatment
Non-adherence is a silent scourge. Pharmacists are on the front lines to detect and correct it every time medication is dispensed, and their intervention is a major lever—one that is too often underestimated:
- In oncology: adherence increases by a factor of 4.8
- For depression: the risk of non-adherence is reduced by 37%
- In epilepsy: non-adherence drops from 51.6% to 32.8%.
3- Prescription drug safety: the pharmacist as a safety net
In a French multicenter study involving 892 patients across 55 pharmacies:
- 27.3% of patients had at least one prescription drug-related problem.
- 78% of the interventions proposed by the pharmacist were accepted by the physician and led to a change in treatment.
Internationally, a meta-analysis of 14 randomized trials (6,606 patients) shows that pharmacist interventions reduce the risk of adverse effects by 14%, or 38 events prevented per 1,000 patients followed.
4- An indispensable public health partner
- Vaccination: A 30% increase in vaccination rates thanks to pharmacist interventions.
- Smoking cessation: interventions in pharmacies improve abstinence rates compared to standard care, with an abstinence rate of 28% at 6 months versus 8.1% in the control group, and up to 46.2% with intensive interventions.
- Screening: colorectal cancer, melanoma, osteoporosis, hypertension, diabetes… the pharmacy is a prime point of access, requiring no appointment and without any organizational barriers.
Behind every figure in this study lies a human reality: that of a pharmacist who, through their expertise and proximity to patients, provides reassurance, optimizes care, and sometimes even saves lives. Pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals—available without an appointment, located closest to patients’ homes—yet they are too often underutilized given what they can truly do for their patients. Far beyond dispensing prescription drugs, the full scope of their responsibilities can be found on ameli.fr.
Servanne Lalinec
Pharmacist
This scientific data confirms what patients experience every day : their pharmacist is a full-fledged healthcare provider. For us, this has always been a deeply held conviction, fueled by a relationship of trust built over several decades.
Gwénael Harmand
President of France Dermo-Cosmetics and Personal Care
About the study
Assessment of the Clinical and Economic Impact of Pharmacist Interventions in the Care Pathway — A Comprehensive Analysis with a Specific Focus on the French Pharmacy System,” a report prepared by Janny Smith, PhD, and Charlène Jouy, PhD, on behalf of Springer Health+ France, in collaboration with Servanne Lalinec, Pharmacist, June 2026.
Press contact :
Caroline PERDRIX THOMAS
+33 (0)6 09 22 29 67
Caroline.perdrix@pierre-fabre.com
