To those who have traveled a bit - especially if they want to become pharmacy clerk or he is already working in this area - it will not have escaped how diverse the pharmacies are in the various countries of Europe and the world.
In the Anglo-Saxon countries for example, almost all of them belong to large chains (like Boots) and seem more like supermarkets, by type of products offered and disposition of goods.
In Italy still resists a model of traditional pharmacy in which the owner must have a degree in the discipline and in which a large part of the turnover comes from the sale of ethical drugs (with prescription). But let's see in detail an analysis of the situation updated to 2015 released by Ims Health.
The Italian market has a lot of variability, not only linked to geographical (north, center and south, urban and extra-urban) or demographic reasons (in some areas the percentage of the elderly population is higher) but also due to the different personalities of the owners of pharmacies. In fact, it goes by pharmacists related to the medical-scientific aspect to those more inclined to the commercial development of their business, with a whole series of nuances in between.
From research Ims Health we know that in recent years the national average has seen the share of turnover produced by ethical drugs (bands A and C) fall steadily, reaching 62% of the total in 2015. There is therefore an average turnover of 38% that comes from over-the-counter drugs and products of various kinds such as supplements or dermocosmetic products.
From a conjunctural point of view, however, it should be noted that the crisis of recent years has hardly affected the pharmaceutical sector. In fact, in 2015 the market achieved an increase of 1.6% compared to the previous year, reaching an absolute value of 25.3 billion. Let's see in detail the performance of the individual types of products:
- prescription medicines: -0.1%
- self-treatment drugs (without prescription): + 3.4%
- dermocosmetics products: + 3%
- supplements: + 7.9%
These data clearly indicate the trend taking place in the sector, a trend that every person interested in become a pharmacy clerk he must know in order to guide his studies and attitudes.
