Phil Jobson’s business supplies “everything the animal
owner needs”, including protective clothing, medicines and
medical equipment |
Four-legged consumers have a particular appeal for Cumbrian
pharmacist, Phil Jobson. Or rather, it is their owners he likes. “I
derive greater pleasure advising animal owners than dispensing medicines
prescribed
by someone else,” he says.
Animal health is the biggest part of Mr Jobson’s business in the
rural communities of Longtown, Brampton, Penrith and Rosehill. At his
Longtown premises, human customers account for only 20 per cent of business
although the community pharmacy is the hub of the enterprise.
His favourite statistic is that 500,000 visits to UK pharmacies are made
daily by people who own pets — or companion animals as they are
known professionally — presenting a huge opportunity for pharmacists. “They
come in for their own health, but they could also buy animal medicines,” says
Mr Jobson.
Current Government and EU consultation into veterinary medicine does
suggest a potentially bigger role for pharmacists in this market and
his vision of an expansion of
new business is apt. Reclassification of
prescription-only medicines to pharmacy medicines would significantly
alter current practice and allow pharmacists to supply more prophylactic
drugs.
A possible interpretation by UK authorities to implement the European
review of medicines (2001) would be to adopt the Marsh report model (see
Panel 1). Both these reports and the Competition Commission investigation
of POM prescribing by veterinary surgeons are going through consultative
stages. But it all seems to be pointing in the same direction as human
medicines — a movement from POM to P.
Panel 1: Marsh report (2001) recommendations
The Marsh report suggests three sub-groups for POMs:
· POM (A) — medicines that may only be
administered by veterinary surgeons or under their direct supervision
(when the vet should be
present).
· POM (B) — medicines that may be sold or dispensed by vets
to animals under their care after a prior clinical examination of
the animal or animals; or sold or dispensed in a pharmacy in response
to a written veterinary prescription.
· POM (C) — medicines that may be sold or supplied by vets
for administration to animals under their care, or by pharmacists
or, providing the purchaser can demonstrate evidence of competence
in their use, by registered agricultural merchants. For this group
of products a prior clinical examination of the animal(s) is not
a requirement, however in cases where no evidence of competence is
available the products in this category should only be made available
by pharmacists, registered agricultural merchants or other registered
outlets against a written prescription from a vet. |
“We’ve put our case for reclassification of medicines,” says
Mr Jobson, who is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s
Veterinary Pharmacists Group, “and if the Veterinary Medicines
Directorate [an executive agency of Department for Environment Food and
Rural Affairs] is convinced that pharmacists can add value then there
is a case for an extended pharmacy classification of animal medicines.”
Mr Jobson adds that there is a significant body of opinion that would
argue for more liberal reclassification of veterinary medicines from
POM to PML rather than pharmacy only. He believes that pharmacy should
take up the challenge now by stocking and selling the existing, albeit
restricted, range of pet medicines. This way the profession can demonstrate
how pharmacy can expand the market, add value and enhance animal care. “Although
many of the issues of reclassification will be addressed by DEFRA with
particular concern for food producing animals and protection of the consumer,
reclassifications are likely to be reflected in the companion animal
sector,” he says.
Grasp the opportunities
Only about 1,500 pharmacists are currently active in veterinary pharmacy,
although the number taking up this challenge is increasing rapidly
in response to legislative changes. Mr Jobson says that there have
been lost opportunities in the past and recalls how pharmacists missed
out during the 1980s when horse owners could not buy wormers from agricultural
merchants. PMLs could only be sold to horse businesses. Horse owners
decided they would like to go to their saddlers for wormers because
not all pharmacists carried them. “So courses were run for saddlers
and they were registered to sell wormers to the public. We are the
experts in medicines but we sit in our ivory towers when others want
a bit of the action. We must not ignore these opportunities.”
A lot of Mr Jobson’s business is with Cumbrian dairy and cattle
farmers. His father started the agricultural arm to his pharmacy in the
1950s when he realised medicines for humans would not provide him with
enough money to retire. But in appealing to his fellow pharmacists to
embrace animal health Mr Jobson is thinking more of small pets — the
British passion. “All pharmacists, urban or rural, could be involved
in companion animal medicine. There’s no question about it. They
could incorporate a range of pet medicines within their premises and
could start trading within two or three weeks. But they
wouldn’t have all the necessary knowledge at that point, and customers
wouldn’t come voluntarily.”
Mr Jobson is keen to help interested pharmacists take the plunge (see
Panel 2) and one member of his staff devotes much time to supporting
new veterinary pharmacists. “If they are genuine and sincere we
point them in the right direction and hold their hands.” The Veterinary
Pharmacists Group organises a one-week residential course, which consists
of both large animal practice and small pet care, leading to the qualification
D Vet Pharm.
Panel 2: How to develop a companion animal section
· Assess your market with a short questionnaire to all customers,
asking if they own a pet and where they buy pet medicines. This
will establish how many customers would be potential purchasers
of animal products.
· Contact local animal groups, offer to give talks and to become
involved in sponsorship of local events.
· Discover the competition. Animal owners are seeking a wider choice
of suppliers for preventive medicines and looking beyond the vet,
pet shop, supermarkets or agricultural merchants.
· Two, four-foot shelf units are sufficient for an urban pharmacy
pet section to get started. Rural pharmacies need larger sections.
Apart from medicines, dog treats, collars and leads are considered
to be “traffic builders”.
· Vetchem (Northern) has two start up orders for new veterinary
pharmacists. The urban starting order costs about £500 and the rural package
costs about £600.
· Join the Veterinary Pharmacists Group. Membership is free. The
group is actively promoting more pharmacist involvement in veterinary
supply, as is the case elsewhere in Europe. Apply to Liz Griffiths,
Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1
7JN.
· The more you and the staff know about the subject, the more you
will sell. Training courses for pharmacy assistants are being developed
through the Animal Medicines and Training Regulatory Authority
and the National Pharmaceutical Association. The diploma in veterinary
pharmacy (D Vet Pharm) would be a sound foundation (see p326). |
“Community pharmacists are busy and the dispensing load is getting
intolerable but they also complain that they are losing market share to
supermarkets.
An animal section introduced into the business may not need to involve
the pharmacist too much — staff who have pets and are interested
can handle much of the new work.”
Mr Jobson’s business has 10 SQP (Suitably Qualified Person) staff
members. This qualification is issued by the Animal Medicines Training
and Regulatory Authority. “There are a lot of agricultural merchants
with SQP certificates who are perfectly competent to sell animal medicines,” says
Mr Jobson “but I believe a greater involvement of pharmacists would
enhance standards of health care in the UK for both farm and pet animals.
An opportunity exists.”
He cites the example of a vaccine for pasteurella pneumonia, which
mainly affects calves made susceptible by winter housing conditions.
Only 15
per cent of the national herd is protected. “We try to persuade
farmers to get this done. The average cost is £4 a course of vaccine,
but losing an animal could cost a farmer between £70 and £250.
Antibiotics are just fire brigade measures after it happens so we try
to talk prevention to farmers.
During the foot and mouth crisis (“the most challenging year of
my life”) half of Mr Jobson’s customers lost animals. Longtown
was at the centre of the epidemic. “We stopped selling medicines
altogether and instead sold disinfectant, rat bait, paper suits and equipment
to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as it was then.”
Mr Jobson’s business has grown over
the years and can boast to supply “everything the animal owner
needs”, which includes protective clothing
as well as medicines and medical equipment. Every type of animal, both
mammal and aquatic, is catered for and a regular newsletter for customers
advises on prevention, pest control and even crop protection.
The new breed of “good lifers” who come up from the south
with their ponies and dogs and buy farmland for smallholdings are treated
respectfully. “They buy six sheep at the mart and ask us for something
for blowfly or scab. We have packs that treat 150 sheep — but we
dispense smaller amounts for them.”
Mr Jobson does not own an animal himself, although his children have
pet rats. “What drives me is business — and animal lovers,” he
says. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal