Why UAE pharmacies recommend certain supplement brands, and what to ask

When a pharmacist or counter assistant suggests a particular supplement, the suggestion is shaped by more than the research on that nutrient. A pharmacy can only recommend what it stocks, and several of the UAE's largest pharmacy groups also distribute brands, hold exclusive agreements with brand owners or sell ranges under names they control. None of that makes the product on offer a poor choice. It does mean the sensible response is to ask a few direct questions and compare the label with an alternative before paying.

This guide is about how to choose between products. It is not medical advice. If you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or are buying for a child, ask the pharmacist to check the supplement against your medicines before you buy.

House brands, own-label and exclusive distribution

Three different arrangements tend to get lumped together as "the pharmacy's brand". They give the retailer different kinds of interest in a sale, so it helps to know which one you are looking at.

• Own-label or house brand: a range sold under the retailer's own name, or a name the retailer controls. Retail researchers call these store brands or private labels.
• Exclusive distribution: the brand belongs to another company, which appoints one distributor to import and supply it in a territory. In the UAE, commercial agency arrangements are governed by Federal Law No. 3 of 2022 Concerning Regulating Commercial Agencies, which took effect on 15 June 2023.
• Sister-company distribution: a pharmacy chain and a distributor sit within the same parent group. The distributor may supply many pharmacies, not only its sister chain, and the chain will usually stock many brands from other suppliers as well.

Why retailers favour some brands

Margin is the most studied reason. In a 2004 analysis of retail margins published in the Journal of Marketing, Kusum Ailawadi and Bari Harlam found that percentage margins on store brands were higher than on national brands, and that retailers with a high store-brand share also earned higher percentage margins on the national brands they sold. They also found that the cash margin per unit could be smaller on a store brand, because store brands sell at lower prices.

Ailawadi later summarised the trade-offs for the Tuck School of Business. Retailers typically price private labels 20 to 40 percent below national brands. In categories where a chain's own label had a strong share, average retail gross margins were around 25 percent, against 20 percent where its share was weakest, which suggests that a strong own label helps a retailer negotiate better terms from brand manufacturers. The same article notes that once marketing costs are counted, a retailer's profit per item on its own label can end up lower than on a national brand, so the incentive is not one-way.

Exclusivity and supply matter too. A company that holds the distribution rights for a brand earns on that brand wherever it is sold. A group that owns both a pharmacy chain and a distributor therefore has a commercial interest in the brands it distributes doing well, both on its own shelves and on other chains' shelves.

Store routines also shape what gets suggested. In interviews with 12 community pharmacists in Brisbane, Australia, published in 2012, the main reason given for recommending a complementary medicine was wanting to benefit the customer. Other drivers included awareness of the evidence, feedback from customers and pharmacy protocols that pair a complementary product with a particular medicine. In other words, a recommendation can come from a sound motive and still be guided by what the store has chosen to promote.

UAE pharmacy groups and their published brand links

The examples below are limited to relationships the companies have published themselves or that have been reported in the press. Each is described in the terms the source uses, with a date where the source gives one, because distribution agreements change. A link between a pharmacy group and a brand says nothing about whether that brand is good or bad.

• BinSina and Alphamed (Al Khayyat Investments). AKI Healthcare describes itself as operating across pharmaceuticals, medical technologies and diagnostics, and a retail pharmacy network, and presents BinSina Pharmacy as part of that business. AKI describes Alphamed (AKI Pharma) as a pharmaceutical distributor in the UAE, Oman and Iraq. In a March 2014 announcement, Alphamed said it had signed an exclusive agreement with Pharmavite LLC to distribute Nature Made vitamins in the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
• Aster Pharmacy and Alfa One. In January 2022, Gulf News quoted the chief executive of Aster Retail describing Alfa One as "the distribution arm of Aster Pharmacy". The same report said Alfa One's exclusive distribution network included Country Life, Nature's Answer and Probulin. Alfa One's website lists a Vitamax range of supplements on its "Our Products" page.
• LIFE Pharmacy (LIFE Healthcare Group). In August 2023, Gulf News reported that Life Pharmacy "serves as an exclusive representative of a vast portfolio of 170 renowned international brands throughout the Middle East". Solgar's own worldwide directory lists LIFE Healthcare Group (Nutripharm) as its contact in the UAE. LIFE's corporate website includes Sunshine Nutrition in its brands section.
• Supercare (GMG). GMG's Health and Beauty division lists Supercare Pharmacy among its own concepts. In a February 2026 announcement, GMG said its Health & Beauty division had exclusive partnerships with more than 30 international health and beauty brands, naming Renew Life, Bluebonnet, New Chapter and Revive Collagen. In February 2025, TheIndustry.beauty described GMG as the owner of Supercare and the exclusive distributor of Revive Collagen in the UAE.

Other chains and single-site pharmacies have their own supplier relationships, and many brands reach the UAE through distributors that do not own any pharmacies. The point of the list is not that these groups do anything unusual. Distribution and own-label ranges are normal retail practice, and knowing about them simply helps you read a recommendation in context.

What to ask at the counter

These questions are fair to ask in any pharmacy. A good pharmacist will be comfortable answering them, and the answers usually take less than a minute.

• Is this a house brand, or one your group distributes exclusively? There is nothing wrong with either. The answer tells you whether to compare it with a brand from another supplier before deciding.
• What is the dose per serving, and how many servings a day? The Supplement Facts panel lists the amount of each active ingredient per serving, and the manufacturer suggests the serving size. Two capsules a day at 500 mg each is the same daily dose as one 1,000 mg tablet, but the pack will last half as long.
• Is this the form that was used in the studies? Many nutrients come in several chemical forms, and a trial uses one specific form at one specific dose. Ask which form is in the product and whether that matches the evidence for what you want it for.
• Does it carry a third-party certification, such as USP Verified, NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport? These are quality marks awarded by organisations that are not part of the manufacturer, and each one checks something slightly different.
• Is there an equivalent at a lower price per dose? Ask for a product with the same ingredient, form and daily amount, whether it is another brand or the pharmacy's own range.
• Is it registered for sale in the UAE? Dietary supplements are registered as pharmaceutical products for general sale with the Emirates Drug Establishment, which took over marketing authorisations for medical products from the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP).

What the certification marks mean

The US National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements explains that quality seals show a product was properly manufactured, contains the ingredients listed on the label and does not contain harmful levels of contaminants. It adds that these seals do not guarantee that a product is safe or effective. A certification is a check on what is in the bottle, not on whether the ingredient works.

• USP Verified: the US Pharmacopeia audits the manufacturing facility, reviews quality control documents, analyses samples against pharmacopeial or manufacturer specifications, and buys verified products off the shelf to confirm they still meet the standard. USP publishes a list of programme participants.
• NSF Certified for Sport: a certification for sports supplements, recognised by the US Anti-Doping Agency and several major sports leagues. Certified products can be searched on the NSF website by name or lot number.
• Informed Sport: after certification, every batch, including every flavour, must be screened by the LGC laboratory for more than 285 substances prohibited in sport before release. Each screened batch is listed on the Informed Sport website.

If a pack shows one of these marks, look up the exact product on the certifier's website. The mark should match the product name, and for Informed Sport, the batch number as well.

How to compare two labels yourself

You do not need the pharmacist's help to compare products. With two packs in hand, or two product pages open, work through the same five points.

• Daily amount. Find the amount of the active ingredient per serving and multiply by the number of servings the label tells you to take each day.
• Price per daily dose. Divide the pack price by the number of days it lasts. A AED 90 pack of 60 capsules at two a day lasts 30 days and costs AED 3.00 a day. A AED 60 pack of 30 tablets at one a day also lasts 30 days and costs AED 2.00 a day. On those numbers the cheaper pack is the better buy, but only if the daily amount and form match.
• Form. Check that the chemical form on the label is the one you asked about. If two products differ in form, they are not like-for-like, even at the same milligram dose.
• Certification. Note any USP, NSF or Informed Sport mark and confirm it on the certifier's website.
• Registration. A product sold in a licensed UAE pharmacy should be registered for sale. If you are buying online from outside the UAE, the product may not have been registered here at all.

Finally, tell the pharmacist about any medicines you take. The Office of Dietary Supplements gives examples of supplements that interact with medicines: vitamin K can reduce the effect of the blood thinner warfarin, and St John's wort can speed the breakdown of many medicines, including some antidepressants and contraceptive pills.

Who regulates what

The Emirates Drug Establishment regulates medical products in the UAE, including food supplements, and that includes the free zones. Its service for registering pharmaceutical products for general sale covers simple products with limited medicinal use that are not considered medicines, such as dietary supplements. MOHAP has transferred marketing authorisations for medical products to the Emirates Drug Establishment, while community pharmacies remain under MOHAP's jurisdiction.

Local health authorities also regulate healthcare providers in their own emirates. These are the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in Dubai and the Sharjah Health Authority in Sharjah. Questions about whether a product is registered go to the Emirates Drug Establishment. Concerns about a pharmacy go to the health authority for its emirate, or to MOHAP.

What the rules say

Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2024 states that "Healthcare professionals are prohibited from prescribing or advising any Medical Product for personal gain" (Article 42(3)), and it counts food supplements as pharmaceutical products. The MOHAP code of conduct for pharmacists says a pharmacist "does not promote or supply specific medicines or devices in response to financial benefit, gifts or hospitality". Under Cabinet Resolution No. 66 of 2023, the pack or place of display must name the producer or importer. None of these rules requires a pharmacy to tell customers that a brand is its own or exclusively distributed by its group, or whether staff are rewarded for selling it. WellnessSorted thinks it should, and sets out why in a separate opinion piece.

When a house brand is the right buy

A house brand or an exclusively distributed brand can be the best option on the shelf. Store brands are generally priced below national brands. If the daily amount and form match what you need and the product carries a third-party quality mark, the cheaper house product may well be the sensible choice. The aim of asking is not to second-guess the pharmacist. It is to make sure the recommendation fits your needs and that you have seen the price per dose of at least one alternative before you pay.