The profession of pharmacist is based on a precise regulatory and scientific foundation, but the tools surrounding daily practice are evolving at a rapid pace. Dispensing, adherence monitoring, stock management, new public health missions: each workstation in the pharmacy is now the subject of software or hardware solutions that change the workload and the quality of service provided to patients.
Prescription and vaccination in pharmacies: what the 2026 regulations change
Competitors extensively detail artificial intelligence or automation, but often overlook recent regulatory changes that condition the adoption of these tools. Two developments that came into effect during the summer of 2026 illustrate the gap between the recognition of a mission and its concrete implementation.
Since the decision of the ANSM on July 7, 2026, flu vaccines are listed on Schedule I of toxic substances. They therefore require a prescription. For individuals aged 11 and older, the trained pharmacist can prescribe, dispense, and administer the vaccine during the same visit. This shortened process reinforces the role of the pharmacy in prevention but requires a traceability software capable of recording the prescription, dispensing, and vaccination act in a single flow.
The law of July 27, 2026, also recognizes the possibility for pharmacists to measure blood pressure. Implementing decrees are still needed to specify practical conditions, required training, and the transmission of results. The gap between legal recognition and operational solution in the pharmacy remains significant. Software publishers will need to integrate these actions into their patient monitoring modules before the mission becomes truly feasible at the counter.
These two examples show that innovation in pharmacy is not limited to technology: it also involves the rapid adaptation of tools to regulatory frameworks. Several platforms are already centralizing these developments for pharmacists and their teams, such as the Pharmalog site for professionals, which brings together resources aimed at structuring this monitoring.
Interoperability of health data in pharmacies
An efficient software isolated in its own ecosystem loses much of its value. The issue of interoperability of medical records has become a structuring challenge for pharmacies, especially since the strengthening of obligations related to Mon Espace Santé and the Shared Medical Record.
For the pharmacist to utilize data from a medical consultation, biological assessment, or previous pharmaceutical interview, systems must communicate according to common standards. The HL7 FHIR standards and the specifications of the health information systems interoperability framework set the technical rules. In practice, this means that the pharmacy management software must be able to:
- Receive and display electronic prescriptions transmitted from the prescriber’s software, without manual re-entry
- Feed the Pharmaceutical Record and Mon Espace Santé with dispensing, vaccination, and TROD data performed at the pharmacy
- Export adherence monitoring data to coordinating healthcare professionals, in a usable format compliant with GDPR
An interoperable software reduces double entries and transcription errors. It frees up time for counter advice, which remains the pharmacist’s highest value-added mission. Pharmacies that have not yet verified the compliance of their systems with interoperability requirements risk falling behind the coordinated care pathways established by the ARS.
Cybersecurity and data hosting in pharmacies
The increase in the volume of health data processed in pharmacies comes with a heightened risk of security incidents. Pharmacies, like other healthcare actors, are subject to strict obligations regarding personal data protection and hosting.
Any provider that stores health data on behalf of a pharmacy must have HDS certification (Health Data Host). This requirement applies to software publishers, teleconsultation platforms installed in pharmacies, and external backup solutions. Checking this point before signing a contract avoids non-compliance situations that could engage the pharmacist’s liability.
Beyond certification, several concrete measures enhance a pharmacy’s security posture:
- Regularly update the operating system and management software, as security patches close vulnerabilities exploited by ransomware
- Train the entire pharmacy team on phishing risks, which remains the primary vector of intrusion into small healthcare structures
- Separate the computer network dedicated to patient data from the network used for internet browsing or public-access interactive kiosks
Cybersecurity in pharmacies protects both patients and business continuity. A ransomware attack can paralyze dispensing for several days if backups are not reliable.
Continuing education and skill enhancement for pharmacy teams
The adoption of a tool, no matter how effective, depends on the team’s ability to use it correctly. New missions (vaccination, TROD, pharmaceutical interviews, medication reviews) require skills that were not part of the initial training of many practicing pharmacists.
Training formats adapted to the pace of the pharmacy
In-person sessions remain useful for technical gestures (injection, capillary sampling), but e-learning modules allow training without closing the counter. Continuing professional development (DPC) organizations offer mixed courses that combine online learning and practical simulations.
The main challenge is not access to training, which has become widely democratized, but the integration of acquired knowledge into the daily processes of the pharmacy. A pharmacist trained in vaccination will only be effective if their software integrates the prescription-dispensing-administration circuit and if the confidentiality space is arranged.
Solutions that support pharmacy professionals gain relevance when they articulate three levels: the regulatory framework, the technical tool, and human competence. Neglecting any of these three pillars amounts to investing in an infrastructure that the team will not be able to fully exploit.
