Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links health sciences with pharmaceutical sciences and natural sciences. The professional practice is becoming more clinically oriented as most of the drugs are now manufactured by pharmaceutical industries. Based on the setting, pharmacy practice is either classified as community or institutional pharmacy. Providing direct patient care in the community of institutional pharmacies is considered clinical pharmacy.
Apothecary is an archaic English term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms 'pharmacist' and 'chemist' have taken over this role.
Medco Health Solutions, Inc. was an American Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) company. Medco provided pharmacy services to private and public employers, health plans, labor unions, government agencies, and individuals served by Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans.
QS/1 is an American software company which develops management software for pharmacies. It was founded in 1944 and is based in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
IQVIA, formerly Quintiles and IMS Health, Inc., is an American Fortune 500 and S&P 500 multinational company serving the combined industries of health information technology and clinical research. IQVIA is a provider of biopharmaceutical development, professional consulting and commercial outsourcing services, focused primarily on Phase I-IV clinical trials and associated laboratory and analytical services, including investment strategy and management consulting services. It has a network of more than 88,000 employees in more than 100 countries and a market capitalization of US$49 billion as of August 2021. As of 2023, IQVIA was reported to be one of the world's largest contract research organizations (CRO).
PHOENIX Pharmahandel GmbH & Co KG, headquartered in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, is the largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in Germany, and the second largest in Europe, with about 153 distribution centers across the country delivering drugs to approximately 12,000 independent pharmacies. Its PHOENIX Documentation is an internet-based archive offering detailed information on drugs, their components, indications, and effects. The formation of holding company PHOENIX International Beteiligungs GmbH took place. The Phoenix Group is a majority owner of the pharmaceutical wholesalers Purus A.S. in the Czech Republic and Tamro in Finland. The Phoenix Group itself is mostly owned by the pharmaceutical conglomerate Merckle Group.
First Databank (FDB) is a major provider of drug and medical device databases that help inform healthcare professionals to make decisions. FDB partners with information system developers to deliver useful medication- and medical device-related information to clinicians, business associates, and patients. FDB is part of Hearst and the Hearst Health network.
Electronic prescription is the computer-based electronic generation, transmission, and filling of a medical prescription, taking the place of paper and faxed prescriptions. E-prescribing allows a physician, physician assistant, pharmacist, or nurse practitioner to use digital prescription software to electronically transmit a new prescription or renewal authorization to a community or mail-order pharmacy. It outlines the ability to send error-free, accurate, and understandable prescriptions electronically from the healthcare provider to the pharmacy. E-prescribing is meant to reduce the risks associated with traditional prescription script writing. It is also one of the major reasons for the push for electronic medical records. By sharing medical prescription information, e-prescribing seeks to connect the patient's team of healthcare providers to facilitate knowledgeable decision making.
Catamaran Corporation is the former name of a company that now operates within UnitedHealth Group's OptumRX division. It sells pharmacy benefit management and medical record keeping services to businesses in the United States and to a broad client portfolio, including health plans and employers. Working independently of the government and insurance companies allowed it to operate as a third party verifier; the RxCLAIM online claim processing system allowed for prescription drug claims to be processed online if the customer lived in and filled his/her prescription in the United States. SXC had three separate but interrelated business segments which dealt with prescription drug programs. For 2013, 23% of company revenue came from Cigna Corporation.
Mediq is a Dutch health care company, which provides pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, by operating apothecaries and by delivering to medical centres and patients. The company is active in 15 countries and in 2012 had a revenue of €2.61 billion. Since 2013, it has been owned by Advent International.
EMIS Health, formerly known as Egton Medical Information Systems, supplies electronic patient record systems and software used in primary care, acute care and community pharmacy in the United Kingdom. The company is based in Leeds. It claims that more than half of GP practices across the UK use EMIS Health software and holds number one or two market positions in its main markets. In June 2022 the company was acquired by Bordeaux UK Holdings II Limited, an affiliate of UnitedHealth's Optum business for a 49% premium on EMIS's closing share price.
The Verband Forschender Arzneimittelhersteller (vfa) or Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies, is the trade group of 43 pharmaceutical companies in Germany which are global players, representing more than two-thirds of the German pharmaceutical market, with nearly 80,000 employees in Germany.
The Deutsche Apotheker- und Ärztebank eG is a cooperative bank headquartered in Düsseldorf.
Wörwag Pharma is a medium-sized family-owned pharmaceutical company headquartered in Böblingen, Germany with subsidiaries in Asia, Europe and South America. It was founded in 1971 by pharmacist Fritz Wörwag in Stuttgart. It sells prescription and over-the-counter preparations and food supplements.
ZAVA is the brand name for an online doctor service and online pharmacy Zavamed.com run by the London-based Health Bridge Ltd. Launched in 2011 as DrEd, it was re-branded to ZAVA in 2016.
DocMorris AG, formerly Zur Rose Group, is one of Europe's largest online pharmacies with 10 million active customers. It operates in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France and Switzerland. Its services are offered under various brands, DocMorris being the most well-known one. It has developed into a comprehensive digital health service provider including e-commerce pharmacy, marketplace and professional health products and services. The DocMorris shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
Joom is a Latvian group of e-commerce and fintech companies founded in June 2016. It also has offices in China, Hong Kong, Brazil, the USA and Germany. At the end of 2022, Joom moved headquarters from Riga to Lisbon, Portugal. Joom currently consists of three businesses.
RXNT is an American privately held healthcare software technology company. The company provides ambulatory practices, hospitals, medical billers, and other healthcare professionals with digital health tools. The company was created in 1999, as a standalone e-prescribing system.
Redcare Pharmacy N.V. is a publicly listed mail-order pharmacy retailer headquartered in Sevenum, Netherlands.
CompuGroup Medical SE & Co. KGaA is a publicly listed software company based in Koblenz that develops and offers software for the healthcare sector. It produces cloud-based and digital application software to support medical and organizational activities in doctors' practices, pharmacies, medical laboratories and hospitals. According to its own figures, the company employed more than 9,200 people worldwide in 2022, and has over 1.6 million users in 56 countries. CompuGroup Medical shares have been included in the TecDAX stock market index since September 2013.
