ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) and the Chain Drug Consortium (CDC) have formed a collaboration that they say will leverage the strengths of each organization and advance the interests of community pharmacists and their patients.

CDC provides its retail members with programs, services and purchasing power to help family-owned and privately held pharmacy chains compete with national chains and mail-order pharmacies. NCPA is noted for providing its members with advocacy efforts in the nation’s capital and elsewhere as well as with business solutions to help local pharmacies compete.

With the partnership, the organizations hope to attract new NCPA members and additional resources for such programs as the NCPA’s legislative defense fund. CDC leaders have begun asking members to join NCPA and to donate to that fund.

“It makes sense that CDC work closely with the leadership of NCPA to address the challenges that face community pharmacy,’’ says CDC president and chief executive officer Edward Frisch.

CDC members include such chains as Bartell Drugs, Lewis Drugs, Kerr Drug, Discount Drug Mart, Kinney Drugs and USA Drug.

NCPA president Joseph Harmison says the collaboration “will produce new synergy and unity to promote the voice of community pharmacies, be they single stores or family-run chains.’’