What is the NACDS?

NACDS or the National Association of Chain Drug Stores was founded in 1933 by a couple of chain executives. It works to give the chain drug industry the unified voice that they require for success and growth. And after 70 years, the NACDS still continues to remain dedicated to the original vision it has, as it represents the leading retail chain suppliers and pharmacies of the nation that belong to an industry that has dramatically changed. <br>

NACDS works daily to make sure that their members are enables and supported to meet the constantly changing needs and requirements of customers and patients, while they are able to properly represent the legislative, regulatory and practical needs of the community pharmacies that are located across the nation. So that they would be able consistently meet the demands, the association regularly launches new programs, new organizations as well as expands their critical functions in government affairs, communications and member programs as well as other services. <br>

Today, the membership of NACDS is made up of almost 200 chain community pharmaceutical companies. Chain community pharmacy collectively comprises the biggest component of the entire pharmacy practice with around 114,000 pharmacists. The industry of chain community pharmacy presently comprises over 20,000 traditional chain drug stores, more than 9,000 supermarket pharmacies, along with at least 6,700 mass merchant pharmacies. <br>

The main mission that NACDS has is to be able to represent the policy positions and views of their member chain drug companies. They try to accomplish this purpose through their offered programs and services which all emphasize the following points: <br>

*Active involvement in health-related and pharmacy issues<br> *Promotion of the roles of community retail pharmacy as well as its importance in the health care system<br> *Ensuring that the perspective of the community retail pharmacy would be effectively communicated to as well as understood by the legislators and policy-makers<br> *Providing appropriate forums for the retailers to interact with business partners and their suppliers <br> *Creating a favorable business and political climate wherein the NACDS member companies would be able to properly carry out their own business plans<br> *Promoting and developing programs and policies which are aimed at the improvement of merchandise distribution as well as the efficiency of retail operations <br> *Making sure that the channels of communication are good among the association and its members<br>

Through these objectives that they have set, the NACDS is able to offer a wide range of various services that are able to meet the requirements of the chain drug industry. They are also responsible for the monitoring and controlling of the sales of drugs like ephedrine and other sexual enhancers and so-called energy supplements. They also look into some of the herbal and alternative medication like goat weed and Spanish fly. <br>

The NACDS membership base is presently operating over 37,000 retail community pharmacies that have annual sales amounting to almost $700 billion, which would already include sales of $221 billion for prescription medicines, over-the-counter or OTC medications, along with health and beauty aids or HBA. <br>

The chain-operated community pharmacies are able to fill more than 70 percent of the 3 billion prescriptions which are annually dispensed in the United States. Furthermore, NACDS memberships include almost 1,000 suppliers of different goods and services to the chain community pharmacies. <br>

As they continue their growth and look into their future, NACDS carries on their global expansion with their international membership growing even more to include 80 more members from 25 other countries.

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