China home to 277,000 independent pharmacies

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- China is home to 277,000 independent pharmacies, accounting for 65.6 percent of the country's total medicine stores, according to a report on the sector unveiled Wednesday.

The report, titled "The 2012 Blue Paper on the Development of Independent Pharmacies in China," was produced by the China Medical Pharmaceutical Material Association.

An independent pharmacy refers to a retail pharmacy that is not affiliated with any pharmacy chain or owned by a publicly traded company. They are usually privately-run businesses.

The report said independent pharmacies have been struggling to survive amid tougher competition and have shown "great vitality" in China despite a lack of government support and social investment.

We Recommend:
2012 year in review: Steps of growth	2012 year in review: Say goodbye	2012 in review: Questions on responsibility
China’s weekly story (2012.12.27-2013.1.4)	New Year Wishes from left-behind children	Kazak's wonderful falcon game in Xinjiang
Food is the paramount necessity of life	Dense fog causes serious air pollution	Twisted, ugly ‘Tower of Large Intestine’ found