Unlocking the potential of community pharmacies to address hypertension in South Asia: the COPE-BP programme

Hypertension is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease in South Asia, affecting over 40% of adults, of whom most remain undiagnosed or poorly managed. Despite urgent healthcare needs, the already overstretched public primary care systems in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in rapidly growing urban areas, are falling short. Community pharmacies, often the first point of contact for low-income urban residents, represent an opportunity for delivering frontline chronic disease care. The Community-Pharmacies managing hypertension: intervention development and Evaluation in Bangladesh and Pakistan (COPE-BP) programme aims to investigate whether these widely accessed yet under-evaluated community pharmacists are effective and cost-effective, and assess whether the COPE-BP intervention can be successfully integrated into hypertension care pathways in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Beyond evaluating clinical and economic outcomes, COPE-BP seeks to reframe the role of semi-formal providers, including community pharmacies, which are key actors in primary care delivery. Through a stepwise programme encompassing intervention development, a multicentre clinical trial, implementation research, and policy engagement, COPE-BP aims to provide a scalable model for integrating non-traditional providers into national health strategies. In doing so, COPE-BP will help strengthen inclusive, people-centred health systems in LMICs.