Each year on 25 September, the pharmacy profession marks World Pharmacists Day, commemorating the founding of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in 1912. The day falls at the end of World Pharmacy Week, running from 19 to 25 September, when pharmacists, pharmacy teams and suppliers come together to recognise the profession’s contribution to community health and highlight the essential role pharmacists play in primary care, disease prevention, and sustainable health systems.¹

This year’s global theme, set by FIP, is “Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures.”¹ The theme points to how ageing populations, rising rates of chronic disease, digital health innovation and climate-related pressures are reshaping what communities need from their pharmacists and calls for the training, recognition and working conditions that let pharmacists practise at the top of their field.²

For Australian pharmacy, that message feels less like an aspiration and more like a progress report. Some of Australia’s recent advancements in community pharmacy include: 

• Queensland has made pharmacist prescribing for a range of acute conditions a permanent feature of its health system, following a successful 12-month pilot.³

• South Australia has launched a subsidised postgraduate Pharmacist Prescribing course, opening the door for pharmacists to assess and treat conditions such as ear infections, shingles, reflux, and muscle and joint pain.⁴

• A similar scope expansion is underway in the ACT, where pharmacists will soon be able to treat additional conditions and vaccinate children as young as two.⁵

For suppliers and pharmacy partners, World Pharmacy Week is a timely moment to say thank you, whether through a social post, a note to your pharmacy customers, or simply recognising the good work happening across the entire sector. FIP provides free campaign logos and assets for the week, making it easy to join the conversation under the hashtag #WPD2026 https://www.fip.org/world-pharmacists-day.¹

A few simple ways to mark the week: 

• Share a thank-you message with your pharmacy partners or team 
• Use FIP’s #WPD2026 campaign assets on your socials or in-store 
• Highlight a local pharmacist’s story in your next communication 
• Use the week as a hook to talk about how scope expansion is changing what pharmacies can offer 

Whether you’re behind the counter or supplying what sits on the shelves, World Pharmacists Day is a chance to recognise the professionals turning healthier futures into something concrete, one patient at a time. 

References 

1. FIP, “World Pharmacists Day 2026” press release  
2. FIP, “World Pharmacists Day” campaign page 
3. Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, “Expanded pharmacist scope becomes permanent in Queensland”  
4. University of Adelaide, “Adelaide University program to upskill SA pharmacists in 2026” 
5. ABC News, “Canberra pharmacists will be able to offer more treatments, vaccinations from 2026”