The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s President (Mrs Christine Glover) has written
to Mr Simon Whitaker - who runs the pharmacy internet site Private-Rx (www.private-rx.co.uk)
- to apologise for causing offence in remarks made by her during a tour of the
poster exhibition at the British Pharmaceutical Conference on September 11.
In her letter, Mrs Glover also invited Mr Whitaker to discuss with her his development
plans for Private-Rx and the future of the Society’s website (www.rpsgb.org.uk).
While looking at a poster which presented research on pharmacists’ views of
Private-Rx, the President made pejorative comments concerning correspondence
that some Private-Rx members had submitted to The Journal and which she took
to emanate from Private-Rx itself. She added that The Journal needed to be turned
from a parish magazine into a world-class publication.
Mrs Glover’s remarks at the BPC were heard by one of the Society’s branch secretaries,
who told The Journal: "It was an unguarded comment which I did not find
acceptable. I told her that if members could not express their views in The
Journal then I did not see how it could fulfil its function. Just because a
view is unpalatable does not mean that it should be kept out of The Journal."