Distribution battle continues
September 13, 2011
YESTERDAY 32,000 pharmacists, health professionals and patients made their voices heard in a House of Representatives petition against the Pfizer Direct exclusive distribution model (PD yesterday). The petition calls on the govt to place a moratorium on exclusive supply arrangements and was presented to Darren Chester MP, Member for Gippsland by one of his constituents, Gippsland pharmacist Tim Shelton. The move comes on the back of a Galaxy Research pharmacist survey which reported that the Pfizer model “is having a significant impact on the ability of pharmacists to meet the needs of their patients”. 98% of pharmacists who responded said Pfizer Direct had altered their ability to meet the expectations of their patients, whilst 90% said that they had seen “a deterioration in the timely and reliable supply of medicines to their pharmacy”. Nine out of ten pharmacists also said that they had patients who had been inconvenienced or had their health and wellbeing impacted because of supply issues; with those in cities just as likely to report problems as their regional and rural counterparts. Around half of pharmacists who experienced Pfizer supply problems said that the issues weren’t isolated, and that the health and wellbeing of patients is being compromised “on a weekly basis”. Reported solutions to supply issues included 82% of respondents contacting other local pharmacists to track down medicines, whilst 26% of pharmacists admitted that they have at times had to contact the prescribing doctor to request a different medicine or dose. Around 87% said that they needed to order Pfizer stock, and advised the patient to come back in a few days time, whilst around two thirds said that they have had occasions where they have been simply unable to dispense the medicine required. As a result of Pfizer’s distribution decision 89% of pharmacists said that they would prefer a doctor to prescribe a non-Pfizer product if an alternative exists, whilst many said that they would be unlikely to support Pfizer’s range of generics. Pictured above is pharmacist Tim Shelton (left) presenting the petition to Darren Chester MP.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 13 Sep 11To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 13 Sep 11
