What role do brokers or intermediaries play in the pharmaceutical industry?

Brokers or intermediaries in the pharmaceutical industry primarily serve to facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers of drugs. Their role is crucial because they help bridge the gap between manufacturers, wholesalers, and healthcare providers or pharmacies, ensuring that medications are available where they are needed. This can involve negotiating prices, terms of sale, and delivery logistics. By acting as middlemen, they enhance efficiency in the supply chain and ensure that drugs move smoothly from producers to consumers, maintaining the flow of necessary medications in the healthcare system.

The other options describe roles that do not align with what brokers or intermediaries do: providing direct care to patients is typically the role of healthcare providers, manufacturing drugs pertains to pharmaceutical companies, and managing inventory at pharmacies is usually the responsibility of pharmacy staff. Each of these roles is distinct and separate from the transactional facilitation performed by brokers and intermediaries.