{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T17:05:34Z","timestamp":1790701534109,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]],"date-time":"2026-09-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790640000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Pharmacy plays a critical role in healthcare through medication management, patient counselling, pharmaceutical care, public health services, and pharmaceutical research. India possesses one of the largest pharmacy education systems and pharmaceutical workforces globally; however, the profession continues to face several educational, regulatory, and practice-related challenges.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This narrative review provides a comprehensive overview of pharmacy education, professional practice, regulatory frameworks, career pathways, research culture, and emerging trends in India. Relevant literature was identified from peer-reviewed publications, official reports, policy documents, and regulatory resources obtained through databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and official websites of the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), and other governmental and professional organizations.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Key findings<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The review highlights that India has a well-established pharmacy education infrastructure and a large pharmaceutical workforce. However, several challenges persist, including variability in experiential and clinical training, limited implementation of patient-oriented pharmacy services, underutilization of clinical pharmacists, gaps in regulatory enforcement, inconsistent continuing professional development (CPD) frameworks, and limited outcomes-based evidence supporting pharmacist-led interventions. Opportunities exist for expanding clinical pharmacy services, medication therapy management, antimicrobial stewardship programs, and pharmacist participation in multidisciplinary healthcare teams.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Strengthening competency-based education, experiential learning, clinical pharmacy practice, regulatory oversight, CPD, and research capacity will be essential for advancing the profession. Addressing these priorities may improve medication safety, patient outcomes, and the overall contribution of pharmacists to healthcare delivery while aligning pharmacy education and practice in India with evolving global standards.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/ijpp\/riag136","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,4]],"date-time":"2026-09-04T11:39:31Z","timestamp":1788521971000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Pharmacy education, practice, and professional landscape in India: a narrative review"],"prefix":"10.1093","author":[{"given":"Rabea","family":"Parveen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, Jamia Hamdard , New Delhi \u00a0 110062 ,","place":["India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Saba","family":"Khan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, Jamia Hamdard , New Delhi \u00a0 110062 ,","place":["India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2476-5115","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ashim","family":"Malhotra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, California Northstate University College of Pharmacy , 9700 W Taron Drive, Elk Grove, CA 95757 ,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Javed","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Education & Research, Jamia Hamdard , New Delhi \u00a0 110062 ,","place":["India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2024065","DOI":"10.31893\/multirev.2024065","article-title":"Pharmacy education 2.0 with special reference to digital India","volume":"7","author":"Deshmukh","year":"2024","journal-title":"Multidisciplinary Reviews"},{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.1186\/s40545-022-00416-0","article-title":"Bridging the gap between academia and practice: novel organogram at the pharmacy Council of India","volume":"15","author":"Doshi","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Pharm Policy Pract"},{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1128","DOI":"10.5688\/ajpe8714","article-title":"A pathway to professional identity formation: report of the 2020\u20132021 AACP student affairs standing committee","volume":"85","author":"Janke","year":"2021","journal-title":"Am J Pharm Educ"},{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"90","DOI":"10.22270\/ijdra.v10i2.535","article-title":"Challenges and future of pharm D profession: promising career but with some reforms","volume":"10","author":"Kalchetty","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Drug Regul Aff"},{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"161","DOI":"10.4103\/0975-7406.160005","article-title":"Clinical pharmacists: the major support to Indian healthcare system in near future","volume":"7","author":"Deshpande","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Pharm Bioallied Sci"},{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4","DOI":"10.1177\/1715163517745517","article-title":"Pharmacists as accessible primary health care providers: review of the evidence","volume":"151","author":"Tsuyuki","year":"2018","journal-title":"Can Pharm J"},{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"989","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sapharm.2013.02.005","article-title":"Defining professional pharmacy services in community pharmacy","volume":"9","author":"Moullin","year":"2013","journal-title":"Res Soc Adm Pharm"},{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1211\/ijpp.14.3.0002","article-title":"Implementing cognitive services in community pharmacy: a review of facilitators used in practice change","volume":"14","author":"Roberts","year":"2006","journal-title":"Int J Pharm Pract"},{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref9","volume-title":"All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists history","year":"2021"},{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-801714-2.00007-1","volume-title":"Pharmacy Practice in India","author":"Karim","year":"2016"},{"key":"2026092912331497000_ref11","first-page":"716","article-title":"Online drug purchasing in India: community pharmacists perceptions and attitudes. 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