What Chemist + Druggist does

Chemist + Druggist (C+D) is a UK-focused B2B media, data, and community business serving community pharmacy professionals. Founded in 1859 and operated as a trading division of Citeline within the Norstella group (legal entity C&D Intelligence U.K. Limited, registered in England and Wales, headquartered at 3 More London Riverside, London), C+D delivers news, analysis, CPD modules, podcasts, investigations, and a community platform to an average of 114,100+ unique users per month across the UK pharmacy workforce.

The company's core product stack is anchored by C+D Data, a regulated product database covering approximately 100,000 pharmacy products with prices, OTC information, and PIP codes that is licensed into Pharmacy Management Reporting (PMR) systems and is mandatory for all UK community pharmacies. Complementary products include the monthly C+D Pricelist (print and digital), the Digital Guide to OTC, the C+D Community platform (launched August 2021 on Zapnito, with discussion rooms, content channels, and live/on-demand events), C+D Jobs, and the annual C+D Awards. Distribution spans the chemistanddruggist.co.uk website, email newsletters (C+D Daily, C+D Saturday Review, C+D CPD, C+D Careers, C+D Products and Brand), social channels, podcasts, and a monthly print Price List distributed to pharmacy premises.

C+D monetizes through a multi-stream model: (1) mandatory recurring pharmacy subscriptions sold in BASIC and PREMIUM tiers with enterprise account management for chains of 10+ stores; (2) data licensing into PMR systems via the C+D Data licence; (3) multi-channel advertising and sponsored content (online, print, podcast) sold to pharmaceutical brands and manufacturers; and (4) event sponsorship anchored by the annual C+D Awards in London. The company's competitive position rests on its regulatory infrastructure status, its 160+ year brand, and its integrated community and data ecosystem.

Name

Chemist + Druggist

Legal name

C&D Intelligence U.K. Limited

Website

https://chemistanddruggist.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1859

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Chemist + Druggist is a UK B2B media, data, and community business serving community pharmacy professionals since 1859, operated as a Citeline trading division within Norstella. It delivers news, CPD, the regulated C+D Data product database (100,000+ products) licensed into UK pharmacy PMR systems, events, and the C+D Community platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gatineau

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Pharmacy Subscriptions: Mandatory subscriptions for UK community pharmacies providing access to C+D Data for product look-up and PMR system integration. Two tiers: BASIC (Data licence, cddata.co.uk access, Guide to OTC, Pricelist) and PREMIUM (Data licence, digital Guide, Pricelist). All UK pharmacies must have an active C+D subscription.
2. Advertising and Marketing Services: Multi-channel advertising including online targeting (114,000+ unique visitors per month), print advertising via monthly Price List distributed to pharmacy premises, and event sponsorship at C+D Awards and digital events. Revenue from brand managers, marketing, and advertising agencies.
3. Data Licensing: C+D Data licence is required for PMR systems and facilitates ordering of products using PIP codes. Enterprise licensing options for pharmacy chains with 10+ stores through dedicated account managers.
4. Awards and Events: Annual C+D Awards generate sponsorship revenue and connect brands with the pharmacy audience through the awards ceremony and associated events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Chemist+Druggist is a digital trade publication and data services company serving UK community pharmacy. It provides news, analysis, CPD modules, podcasts, an annual industry awards programme, and a comprehensive product data subscription (C+D Data) covering approximately 100,000 pharmacy products. All UK community pharmacies are required to maintain an active C+D Data subscription to enable PMR system integration and PIP code-based product ordering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• C+D Data (Pharmacy Product Database) A subscription-based pharmacy product database covering approximately 100,000 UK pharmacy products with pricing and PIP codes, essential for PMR (Pharmacy Management Record) system operation and product ordering. Mandatory for all UK community pharmacies.
• C+D Pricelist Monthly print and digital price list providing quick access to prices and information for every OTC product and prescription medicine available in the UK, distributed to pharmacy premises.
• Digital Guide to OTC Comprehensive digital publication covering OTC products available in the UK market, used for daily reference, training support, and patient information recommendations in community pharmacy.
• C+D Community Platform Online professional networking platform where UK community pharmacy staff can interact, join topic-specific discussion rooms, follow content channels, and access live and on-demand events including CPD training.
• C+D Jobs Dedicated job board for the UK pharmacy sector, allowing employers to post roles and pharmacy professionals to find jobs.
• C+D Awards Annual awards programme recognising excellence in UK community pharmacy, including a London ceremony and associated events that serve as a sponsorship and engagement platform for pharmaceutical brands.
• C+D Podcasts and Multimedia Content Podcast and video content series (including the Pharmacy in Person series) featuring expert discussions on key issues facing UK community pharmacy professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 114,100+ unique users per month across the C+D network
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Curaleaf LaboratoriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCuraleaf Laboratories is a strategic content partner for C+D's medical cannabis education initiatives. The partnership includes sponsored CPD modules on cannabis-based medicines, the Curaleaf Learning Room on the C+D Community platform, webinars on medicinal cannabis in pain management, and joint surveys on pharmacy attitudes toward medical cannabis. Content addresses regulatory hurdles, stigma, and training needs for pharmacists.
• Christie & CominorGTM or Marketing PartnerChristie & Co, a specialist pharmacy broker, sponsors the Funding news section on C+D. The partnership provides sponsorship visibility to the pharmacy funding and business news coverage.
• GavisconminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGaviscon sponsored a C+D webinar on 'Upper GI vs Lower GI: Know the difference in symptoms', providing educational content while gaining brand visibility among pharmacy professionals.
• DoublebaseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDoublebase (produced by Stiefel) sponsored a CPD module titled 'Doublebase - Treating Skin Seriously' on the C+D Community platform, combining education with brand exposure.
• CentrumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCentrum vitamins sponsored the 'Vitamin D supplements for at-risk groups' CPD module and training room content, linking educational value with brand visibility.
• Wellcome TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerC+D has partnered with the Wellcome Trust Library to make every past issue of Chemist+Druggist available online, preserving 160+ years of pharmacy journalism.
• Norstella / CitelinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC+D is a trading division of Citeline, part of the Norstella family of pharmaceutical solutions providers (including Citeline, Evaluate, MMIT, Panalgo, The Dedham Group, and Skipta). This corporate structure provides cross-selling opportunities and shared data services across brands.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Citeline (sister brand): Pharma intelligence brand under the same Norstella parent, providing clinical trial, regulatory, and drug development data. While focused on different buyer personas than C+D's pharmacist audience, it shares the life sciences information services category.
• Pharmacy Times: Leading US pharmacy media platform with news, continuing education, and conference offerings for community pharmacists, structurally analogous to C+D's UK publication+CPD+events model but at significantly larger US scale.
• Informa Pharma Intelligence: Former parent of C+D before the Norstella transaction, providing pharma intelligence across the drug development lifecycle. A broad incumbent with overlapping life sciences information services capabilities.
• BMJ Group: Major medical publisher offering clinical decision support, CPD, and journals across healthcare, including pharmacy-relevant content. A broad incumbent with overlapping CPD and clinical reference capabilities for the UK healthcare professional audience.
• Drug Topics: Established US pharmacy media brand providing news, clinical content, and CPD to community and retail pharmacists, comparable in editorial mission and audience targeting to C+D but focused on the US market.

Direct peers

• The Pharmaceutical Journal: Published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, PJ is the most direct UK pharmacy publication competitor to C+D, providing news, analysis, CPD, and clinical content to community pharmacists with overlapping audience and editorial mission.
• MIMS (Monthly Index of Medical Specialties): UK-based drug information reference for healthcare professionals, providing prescribing information, drug data, and clinical decision support. Closely comparable to C+D Data as a UK drug/product information resource for practicing clinicians.
• Skipta: Specialized healthcare professional social networking community platform also owned by Norstella, providing online community infrastructure for verified HCPs. Closely comparable to C+D Community's professional networking and discussion functionality.
• Pharmacy Magazine: UK pharmacy trade publication offering news, features, and CPD content to community pharmacists, directly competing with C+D for the same UK community pharmacy audience and pharmaceutical brand advertising budgets.

Regional players

• AJP (Australian Journal of Pharmacy): Australia's longest-running pharmacy publication serving community pharmacists with news, CPD, and industry events, directly comparable to C+D's editorial and subscription model in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chemistdruggist
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChemistDruggist-261282520566593
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chemist-druggist

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chemist + Druggist