Airport-based pharmacies: Products, services and challenges essential for patients in a global travel landscape

The role of airport pharmacies has grown in recent years to provide a range of services to travelers, including over-the-counter and prescription medicines, as well as advice on prevention of infectious and other diseases. Prevention, including protective equipment, is especially important during pandemics, as seen with the recent coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In addition, offering vaccinations where appropriate. However, this is not universal, and there are currently no acknowledged guidelines for pharmacists operating within airports. In addition, research into their role as well as potential ways to improve this is lacking. This is a concern with community pharmacists playing a valuable role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Potential ways forward include greater research into their activities to enhance their role and address challenges. These include issues of brand names and language, as well as encouraging travel pharmacy in future university curricula. In addition, producing guidelines for their activities and monitoring their implementation. This can help build a greater role for their services, benefiting airport staff and travelers in the future.