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AyRojgar

Model pharmacy

A DGDA-accredited pharmacy. 300 sq ft, air-conditioning, a pharmacy-grade fridge and a Grade A pharmacist are compulsory; the drug licence runs two years.

  • Last reviewed: 19 September 2026
  • Version 1
Model pharmacy

Model pharmacy

Starting capital
৳5,00,000 – ৳25,00,000
Editorial estimate
Manpower
2 – 5 people
First sale
45 – 180 days
Editorial estimate
Break-even
12 – 14 months
Editorial estimate
Kind of work
Shop · Hard

About the business

A medicine shop accredited by the Directorate General of Drug Administration. The difference from an ordinary pharmacy is visible inside the shop, not on paper. A Model Pharmacy needs at least 300 square feet of floor space, air-conditioning, a pharmacy-grade refrigerator, and a university-graduate Grade A pharmacist physically present to dispense. The smaller grade is the Model Medicine Shop: 120 square feet and at least a Grade C pharmacy technician. Before either, one condition comes first - a valid drug licence. Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 2023 no one may sell, store, distribute or display medicine for sale without a licence, and that includes selling over the internet. The licence runs for two years and renewal must be applied for within the ninety days before it expires; the accreditation certificate also runs two years. There is no room to lift prices: for drugs whose maximum retail price the government fixes by gazette, selling above it is illegal. So the only ways to earn more are footfall and not letting money die on the expiry shelf.

Unit economics

ItemRangeEvidenceSuggest a correction
Monthly working capital৳3,80,000 – ৳11,50,000Editorial estimate
Selling price৳150 – ৳450 / unitEditorial estimate
Variable cost৳132 – ৳385 / unitEditorial estimate
Gross margin12% – 15%Editorial estimate
Time to first revenue45 – 180 daysEditorial estimate
Break-even time12 – 14 monthsEditorial estimate
Cash cycle0 – 30 daysEditorial estimate
Waste / loss1% – 3%Editorial estimate
Daily capacity80 – 200Editorial estimate

What you need to start

  • A pharmacy-grade refrigerator with an external temperature display, a separate expiry-medicine bin, a computer running pharmacy management software (compulsory in a Model Pharmacy), and the prescribed aprons - white for Grade A, sky blue for Grade B, pink for Grade C.Equipment
  • Medicines bought from approved suppliers with lot and expiry recorded. For drugs whose maximum retail price the government fixes by gazette, nothing may be sold above that price.Starting stock
  • Model Pharmacy / Model Medicine Shop accreditation certificate, issued by the Director General of DGDA and valid for two years, then renewable. Three basic conditions: an updated valid drug licence, a pharmacy professional with current Pharmacy Council of Bangladesh registration, and 120 square feet of floor space for an MMS or 300 for an MP.Licence
  • Trade licence from the city corporation or municipality: form Tk 10, licence book Tk 50, standard tax Tk 30, stamp Tk 150-300, licence fee Tk 100-60,000 by trade type, plus VAT and signboard fee. Issued in 3-5 working days.Licence
  • Retail drug licence from the Directorate General of Drug Administration as licensing authority. Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 2023 no medicine may be sold, stored, distributed or displayed for sale without it, including over the internet. Valid for 2 years from issue; renewal must be applied for no more than 90 days before expiry. Fees are set by rules and may be re-fixed by gazette.Licence
  • A registered pharmacist, and this is not a condition that can be waived. In a Model Pharmacy a Grade A pharmacist with an honours degree or above must be on the premises to dispense prescription medicines and counsel patients; Grade B or C staff may assist under supervision. A Model Medicine Shop needs at least a Grade C pharmacy technician.Skill
  • At least 300 square feet of floor space for a Model Pharmacy, with an air-conditioning system and a hygro-thermometer inside the premises to monitor room temperature and humidity. At least 120 square feet for a Model Medicine Shop.Workspace

How the work is done

  1. 1Decide the level first: Model Pharmacy or Model Medicine Shop. A Model Pharmacy needs at least 300 square feet and a Grade A pharmacist; a Model Medicine Shop needs 120 square feet and at least a Grade C pharmacy technician.
  2. 2Line up the pharmacist - this is the hardest condition and the one people get wrong. The Pharmacy Council of Bangladesh registration must be current, and in a Model Pharmacy the Grade A pharmacist must be on the premises to dispense prescription medicines.
  3. 3Take the premises. Beyond floor area you need air-conditioning, a pharmacy-grade refrigerator with an external temperature display, and a hygro-thermometer to monitor room temperature and humidity.
  4. 4Take the trade licence from the city corporation or municipality and make sure it names medicine retail.
  5. 5Apply for the retail drug licence through the DGDA's online system (ADLRS). The authority inspects the premises and issues the licence only if it finds them suitable.
  6. 6Once licensed, enter the accreditation process. The local DGDA office pre-assesses, dispensers are trained, and up to one year is allowed to bring the shop up to standard.
  7. 7Put in a computer and run pharmacy management software - compulsory in a Model Pharmacy. It tracks purchase, sale, stock and expiry dates.
  8. 8Keep a separate expiry-medicine bin and put staff in the prescribed aprons - white for Grade A, sky blue for Grade B, pink for Grade C. Inspections look for these.
  9. 9Keep the gazette list of drugs whose maximum retail price the government has fixed. Selling above that price is illegal.
  10. 10Apply to renew the licence within the ninety days before it expires, and renew the accreditation certificate every two years. Write both dates on the wall.

Seasons

  1. JanNormal
  2. FebNormal
  3. MarNormal
  4. AprNormal
  5. MayNormal
  6. JunHigh
  7. JulHigh
  8. AugHigh
  9. SepHigh
  10. OctHigh
  11. NovNormal
  12. DecNormal
HighNormalLow

Where it works well

  • Strong fitChattogram · A large medicine market around the medical college hospital; some of the earliest accreditations were issued here.
  • Strong fitDhaka · The greatest concentration of hospitals, medical colleges and doctors' chambers, and the easiest place to find a pharmacy graduate.
  • Strong fitGazipur · Dense factory-worker settlement and crowded government hospitals push most people to the neighbourhood pharmacy.
  • Strong fitNarayanganj · Dense settlement and closeness to Dhaka's distributors mean fast resupply.
  • PossibleBogura · The medical and trading hub of the north, with many private hospitals and diagnostic centres.
  • PossibleCumilla · Demand around the highway and the medical college hospital, though a Grade A pharmacist is harder to find than in Dhaka.
  • PossibleKhulna · A divisional city with a medical college hospital and patients arriving from surrounding districts.
  • PossibleMymensingh · Patients cluster around the medical college hospital, and people come in from neighbouring districts too.
  • PossibleRajshahi · A medical college and a university make pharmacy graduates relatively easy to find, which eases the hardest condition of this trade.
  • PossibleSylhet · Remittance families have more spending power, so branded and costlier medicines sell relatively well.

Risks and cautions

  • HighCompliance: Running the shop without the pharmacist is the trap in this trade. Accreditation requires a registered pharmacy professional on the premises to dispense, and in a Model Pharmacy that means a Grade A pharmacist. Many owners cannot carry the salary and keep a pharmacist in name only; when an inspection finds it, the accreditation goes and the licence itself is in question. The rent on 300 square feet and a graduate pharmacist's salary are the two largest monthly costs and neither can be cut.
  • HighCompliance: The licence lasts only two years and renewal must be applied for within the ninety days before expiry. Miss that window and the shop is unlicensed on paper while the medicine is still on the shelves - and storing or displaying medicine without a licence is itself an offence. The accreditation certificate renews separately, also every two years, so two dates have to be tracked.
  • HighWorking capital: The profit sits locked inside shelf stock. A pharmacy has to carry hundreds of lines, most of which sell once or twice a month, yet dropping them sends patients next door. Whatever does not sell is a total loss at expiry - which is exactly why the rules require a separate expiry-medicine bin. The loss is worst in the first year, before the owner knows what actually moves.
  • MediumDependency: There is no way to price your way out. For drugs whose maximum retail price the government fixes by gazette, selling above it is illegal, so what the shop keeps is decided by the company and the distributor through the trade price they give. When rent or salary rises it cannot be passed on.

Sources

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