About The Village Pharmacy
The Village Pharmacy, established in 2001, is a full-service community pharmacy in Toronto, specializing in HIV and with a particular focus on healthcare for LGBTQ+ people, and more recently, Diabetes support. We are fully accredited by the Ontario College of Pharmacists.
The owner/pharmacist, Zahid Somani, is a University of Toronto graduate with over 25 years of experience in HIV pharmacy care.
Starting as a new University of Toronto Pharmacy graduate in Toronto’s gay village, Zahid remembers the very limited treatment options available to people newly diagnosed with HIV or AIDS.
“In 1994 the first triple-therapy cocktails were just coming out. Until then we only had AZT and patients would come into the pharmacy with Kaposi lesions and need extremely high doses of antibiotics and antifungal drugs to fight off opportunistic infections. We used to lose patients every week….it was awful.
Today, I see my role as part education and part treatment access. Given the strides science has made in this field, the challenge now, is to make sure patients are on the least toxic and best-tolerated regimens. Also, given the complexities of private insurance, Trillium and ODSP, I use a lot of my time advocating for clients and making sure they can afford their meds. I try to accommodate their financial situation as much as possible.
I work with people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, their physicians, AIDS Service Organizations such as ACT and PWA, community services such as Casey House and Fife House to make sure that my clients can afford their meds and are able to tolerate them well enough to take them everyday.”
The Village Pharmacy has been part of Church-Wellesley Village for more than 20 years, and we’ve come a long way since the HIV cocktail days. HIV self-tests, PrEP, injection and single-pill regimens for HIV treatment are some key advancements, and we’ve been at the forefront in providing access to new treatments and therapies for our clients.
Our community has come to rely on The Village Pharmacy for compassionate care that is respectful of all, and especially for LGBTQ+ people in Toronto, throughout the GTA and beyond.
With 3 locations - in the Village, on Yonge at Wellesley, and in Midtown at Yonge & Eglinton, we’re buoyed by the support of our good-natured (and loyal!) clients and we’re committed to supporting the community at large in return, through our annual donations to important causes like ACT, Rainbow Railroad, PWA, Kids Help Phone, Teresa Group and more.
The Village Pharmacy Team - 473 Church Street
Zahid Somani RPh – Pharmacist & Owner
Connor Gibney PharmD, RPh - Pharmacist & Pharmacy Manager
Brad Fonseca RPh - Staff Pharmacist
Paulette Villareal RPhT – Registered Pharmacy Technician & Dispensary Manager
Jerome Martinez – Pharmacy Assistant & Logistics Manager
Sibyl Joycelyn Dcosta - Pharmacy Assistant
The Village Pharmacy Team - 535 Yonge Street
Zahid Somani RPh – Pharmacist & Owner
Justin Ho RPh - Pharmacist & Pharmacy Manager
Paria Norouzi - Clinical Services Manager
Shivani Amrutiya - Pharmacy Assistant
The Village Pharmacy Team - 2518 Yonge Street
Zahid Somani RPh – Pharmacist & Owner
Monica Nguyen RPh - Pharmacist & Pharmacy Manager
Sreepriya Guduru - Pharmacy Assistant