Pharmacists set to take on broader healthcare role

Pharmacists administering vaccinations in pharmacies will be the first step towards a broader role in healthcare, Health Minister Alma D. Möller told mbl.is.

A bill the minister plans to resubmit would allow pharmacists to prescribe vaccines used in pharmacy vaccinations, along with other medicines connected to the vaccinations. It would also authorise the minister to issue regulations on pharmaceutical services, including pharmaceutical care.

Further pharmacy-based services are already being prepared. Pharmacists may conduct support consultations for people starting treatment with certain blood pressure, cholesterol-lowering and blood-thinning medicines. Pharmacists providing the service would have to complete designated courses, with the Icelandic Pharmaceutical Society expected to oversee the educational component.

Work is also under way to enable pharmacists to teach patients how to use asthma and other inhaled medicines.

The Ministry of Health has supported a pilot project helping people reduce their use of addictive medicines, for example after surgery or following long-term use. Möller said the project would continue, with a particular focus on providing the service in pharmacies.

Asked whether pharmacists’ authority to vaccinate in pharmacies marked the first step towards a broader role in healthcare, Möller said it did so “without a doubt”. She said the change was in line with a plan outlined in the ministry’s recent white paper on expanded pharmaceutical services.

The white paper, published in March 2025, assessed pharmaceutical services in Icelandic pharmacies compared with those in neighbouring countries and proposed further steps towards expanding pharmacists’ role in healthcare.

Möller said there were no plans to give pharmacists further prescribing rights beyond the authorities being prepared in connection with vaccinations.