The report shares evidence and outcomes from across Canada’s largest pharmacy network and reinforces commitment to leading health and pharmacy responsibly

TORONTO, Oct. 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Shoppers Drug Mart released its inaugural Health Outcomes Report, bringing together evidence and outcomes from across its pharmacy network to demonstrate how pharmacists and pharmacy-led programs are helping Canadians access timely care, supporting earlier disease detection, and contributing to chronic disease management.

The report reflects Shoppers Drug Mart’s commitment to lead health and pharmacy responsibly and to its purpose, Care for Canada. It also aims to contribute evidence to the broader conversation about how community pharmacy can support patients and complement Canada’s healthcare system as governments continue to enable pharmacists to practice at the top of their education and expertise.

“We believe leadership in healthcare comes with a responsibility to measure our impact, share what we are learning, and continue raising the standard of care,” says Gregers Wedell-Wedellsborg, President, Shoppers Drug Mart. “Pharmacists have an important role to play, but strengthening healthcare in Canada requires all of us to work together. By keeping patients at the centre and building stronger connections across the health system, we can help make care more accessible, coordinated, and resilient.”

Supporting care in communities across Canada

Many Canadians experience challenges accessing timely primary care, while family physicians, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals are working to meet growing and increasingly complex patient needs. The role of pharmacists continues to evolve across the country, creating more opportunities to support patients and making care more accessible and timely.

Pharmacists can have an even greater impact on the health of their patients when they complement and connect with the work of physicians, nurse practitioners, and patients’ broader primary care teams, and we are seeing the positive impact their expanded role is having on the health of Canadians.

Positive health outcomes, by the numbers

The Health Outcomes Report examines the positive impact of care provided across Shoppers Drug Mart’s network of pharmacies. Some highlights include:

• Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacists provided over 1.7 million consultations and treatments for minor ailments in 2025.
• Over 85% of minor ailment assessment appointments in 2025 were booked for the same or next day.
• Over a third of services provided in Pharmacy Care Clinics in 2026 were delivered outside regular weekday hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• 95% of patients who received a minor ailment assessment for a urinary tract infection (UTI) in Ontario reported their symptoms had resolved or were improving during pharmacist follow-up calls.
• 1 in 9 patients receiving Heart Health Assessments in Alberta had A1c levels potentially indicating prediabetes or diabetes.
• 2 in 3 patients living with severe diabetes who received a medication review in Ontario had a clinically significant reduction in A1c levels within a year.
• 55% of patients referred for primary care attachment through the Pharmacy-Based Hub of Care pilot with Trillium Health Partners were successfully attached during the pilot period.
  
  

Together, the findings demonstrate areas where community pharmacy is helping patients access care closer to home, supporting earlier disease detection and contributing to the ongoing management of chronic conditions.

The report also reinforces the importance of quality, coordination and continued evaluation as the role of pharmacy evolves.

Leading health and pharmacy responsibly

Community pharmacy is one participant in a large and complex health ecosystem, and meaningful progress depends on collaboration. Shoppers Drug Mart is committed to working with governments, physicians, nurse practitioners, health system partners, patients, and others to better connect care, continuously improve quality, and understand where pharmacy can make the greatest contribution.

As part of that commitment, the Patient Care and Quality Committee of the Loblaw Board was established in 2024, bringing together leading Canadian healthcare experts to provide Loblaw independent guidance and direction helping us to continue to raise the bar for quality and innovation in patient care.

Shoppers Drug Mart is sharing the Health Outcomes Report to contribute evidence, encourage transparency and dialogue, and help inform the continued evolution of pharmacy care in Canada.

Read the full Health Outcomes Report.

About Shoppers Drug Mart Inc.

Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. is one of the most recognized and trusted names in Canadian retailing. The company is the licensor of full-service retail drug stores operating under the name Shoppers Drug Mart® (Pharmaprix® in Québec). With more than 1,350 Shoppers Drug Mart® and Pharmaprix® affiliated stores operating in prime locations in each province and two territories, the company is one of the most convenient retailers in Canada. The company also licenses or owns more than 150 medical clinic pharmacies operating under the name Shoppers Simply Pharmacy® (Pharmaprix Simplement Santé® in Québec). In addition to its retail store network, the company owns Shoppers Drug Mart Specialty Health Network Inc., a provider of specialty drug distribution, pharmacy and comprehensive patient support services, MediSystem Inc., a provider of pharmaceutical products and services to long-term care facilities and Lifemark Health Group, a Canadian provider of outpatient physiotherapy, massage therapy, occupational therapy, chiropractic, mental health and other rehabilitation services, delivered through a national network of more than 400 clinics. Shoppers Drug Mart® is an independent operating division of Loblaw Companies Limited.

For all media inquiries, contact: pr@loblaw.ca