Good Pharmacy Practice
GPP
What a definition is not
A definition is SPEQ’s plain-language decode of how a term is used in practice, cited to the documents that define it. It is a practitioner reference, not legal or regulatory advice, it does not replace the definition in the source, and where a regulator’s wording differs the regulator’s wording governs.
The discipline defining the standards of professional practice expected of pharmacists and pharmacies at the point of dispensing — accurate dispensing, patient counseling, appropriate storage, and collaboration with prescribers — to ensure medicines reach and are used correctly by the patient after leaving the regulated supply chain.
GPP sits at the very end of the value chain covered by the other GxP disciplines: where GMP and GDP ensure a medicine is made and distributed correctly, GPP governs what happens at the pharmacy counter — verifying the prescription, checking for interactions, counseling the patient on correct use, and maintaining appropriate storage conditions within the pharmacy itself.
The joint FIP/WHO framework describes GPP through four roles: preparing, obtaining, storing, securing, and dispensing medicines of good quality; providing effective care; contributing to rational prescribing and use; and improving public health outcomes — treating the pharmacist as an active participant in patient safety, not simply a final distribution point.
GPP standards are typically implemented through national pharmacy practice regulation and professional pharmacy body standards rather than a single harmonized international regulation, so specific requirements vary meaningfully by jurisdiction.
- —Governs professional pharmacy practice at the point of dispensing to the patient
- —Distinct from GDP, which covers wholesale distribution rather than dispensing
- —Framed around four roles: quality supply, patient care, rational use, public health
- —Implemented mainly through national pharmacy regulation and professional standards
Joint FIP/WHO Guidelines on Good Pharmacy Practice: Standards for Quality of Pharmacy Services (2011)
Frequently asked questions
What does Good Pharmacy Practice stand for?
Good Pharmacy Practice stands for GPP.
What is Good Pharmacy Practice?
The discipline defining the standards of professional practice expected of pharmacists and pharmacies at the point of dispensing — accurate dispensing, patient counseling, appropriate storage, and collaboration with prescribers — to ensure medicines reach and are used correctly by the patient after leaving the regulated supply chain.
Which regulations cover Good Pharmacy Practice?
Joint FIP/WHO Guidelines on Good Pharmacy Practice: Standards for Quality of Pharmacy Services (2011)