So, You Want to Be in the Pharmacy Business? Building from scratch, acquisitions & other considerations.

pharmacy businessBy: Michael Silverman

Like many entrepreneurial endeavors, owning a pharmacy requires careful planning and an astute risk versus reward analysis. However, unlike other industries, venturing into a healthcare business brings with it an entire new world of regulations, and rightly so. Pharmacies don’t sell widgets they sell prescription drugs, and to people whose well-being depends on it being done correctly. As such, there’s a host of state and federal laws a pharmacy must abide by, intended to safeguard patients and the healthcare system as a whole. Don’t let regulatory hurdles alone serve as an insurmountable deterrent from entering into what can be a profitable and fulfilling profession; proactive compliance is the key to success! Here’s an overview of the general steps necessary to become a pharmacy owner, be it from scratch or by acquiring an existing practice. For the purposes of this article, let’s assume it’s a community/retail pharmacy that will be located in Florida.

So what’s better – building from scratch or buying something that’s already out there? Typical lawyer answer – it depends! But I won’t stop there; here are some considerations that must be taken into account to make a proper decision: (1) how quickly does the business need to be up and running? It’s typically a faster process to commence business by acquiring an existing pharmacy rather than buying one, but that depends on (2) what is out there in the current marketplace? If a stock acquisition, all of the known and unknown liabilities will be inherited by the new owner; proper due diligence on the pharmacy’s past is essential.Continue reading