From Mr M. Ashmore, MRPharmS
SIR,—We now have a chance to help the Government and save it up to £115m by not stocking the new Glaxo influenza drug Relenza (PJ, September 11, p400). An added bonus is that most community pharmacists will save money by not dispensing it.
Pharmacists who only receive 2.5 per cent discount from the Glaxo agency scheme will lose about £1.23 [£24 (11.68 per cent – 2.5 per cent) – £0.94] when dispensing a £24 course while even those getting 8 per cent discount will be working for 9p, and that is after taking into account the dispensing fee.
It used to be said that pharmacists would work for nothing. It now seems that we are expected to pay for the privilege of working.
Speaking personally, I am tired of having to go round to general practitioners' surgeries after the Glaxo or Allen & Hanburys representatives, trying to undo their work and having to explain why we will not be stocking any of their products over about £13.
I have already heard of one community pharmacist who refused the offer of a starter pack from a Glaxo representative on the grounds that he would rather lose the prescription.
If there is anyone from Glaxo reading this then perhaps they could use their influence to reinstitute a fair system whereby community pharmacists can work with the company instead of against it. This might even help their dismal recent profit results.
Mr GODFREY Horridge (financial executive, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee) comments: The discount clawback scale is a weighted average of five discount categories: proprietaries (non Glaxo Wellcome), Glaxo Wellcome proprietaries, net priced proprietaries, generics and parallel imports. Discount in some of these categories will be below the clawback average and in some categories it will be above the average.
Mark Ashmore
Oldham, Lancashire