The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7245 p532
19 April 2003

This article
Reprint
Photocopy

Fair competition [more]
Guidance, guidance, guidance [more]

Fair competition

Opportunities for community pharmacists sometimes come from unexpected sources. For many years, veterinary surgeons have obscured the price of medicines to animal owners by lumping the costs of consultation, treatment and medicines into one fee. As a result, few animal owners have realised that, theoretically, they could have asked for a prescription to be dispensed by a pharmacist. In practice, there would have been little benefit for owners, since the chances are that the vet would have charged a fat fee for writing a take-away prescription and pharmacists would have found it hard to supply the animal medicines as cost-effectively as the vet.

Now the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has accepted the findings of the Competition Commission that this state of affairs must end. Details of implementation and timing are still to be agreed but, at some stage in the near future, vets are likely to have to display notices that indicate they are not the only source of animal prescription medicines. Moreover, wholesalers will be obliged to offer pharmacists the same terms that they offer vets — among other changes (p534).

This is good news for pharmacists, because the United Kingdom veterinary medicines market is worth about £200m. At the moment it is thought that fewer than 100 pharmacies have more than a toehold in the veterinary business but as many as 10 per cent of pharmacies might be able to see significant developments under the new rules. Pharmacies in urban areas who happen to be near to veterinary practices are just as likely to pick up business as pharmacies in more rural areas serving farming communities.

Pharmacists may be surprised to learn that the Competition Commission is a cousin of the Office of Fair Trading; in this instance, they seem to have made a good decision for pharmacy.

Back to Top

Guidance, guidance, guidance

With the publication of the National Service Framework for Children (p539), health care professions in England and Wales are faced with another document to absorb. This one, and the most recent one for diabetes, have both come in two parts: standards first, and implementation later. With implementation of the first three NSFs (coronary heart disease, mental health and older people) still patchy — these documents were not issued in parts — it will be interesting on the one hand to find out in, say, three years time whether full implementation is quicker or slower if the NSF comes in two parts. On the other hand, maybe there is just too much guidance, guidance, guidance from the Government.

Back to Top