The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7315 p312-315
4 September 2004

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· The Charter
· Charter ballot
· Volunteer agencies
· Voting
· Personal control
· Medicines and devices
· Simvastatin
· Ward technicians
· CAM
· Remuneration
· The Profession
· Education
· CRCS
· Retention fee
· Onlooker

Letters to the Editor

Simvastatin

Cut-price Zocor Heart-Pro

From Mr I. W. Schlazer, MRPharmS

I read with interest an article in The Daily Telegraph of 17 August about the new pharmacy-only product, Zocor Heart-Pro. The article concluded by stating that the product is quite expensive but Boots and ASDA are cut-pricing it.

I would like to express my utter contempt for both of these organisations for stooping to this level. Here, at last, we have a product which requires in-depth counselling and monitoring of the patient. We also have been given a golden opportunity to demonstrate to the public that we are capable of carrying out a truly professional service precisely of the type that the Health Minister is often encouraging us to do.
So what do ASDA and Boots do? Reduce it to the level of a packet of paracetamol!

The recommended price of Zocor Heart-Pro takes into account the time and counselling needed by pharmacists before we supply it.

I, for one, have no intention of cut-pricing it, and any other pharmacist who places a value on himself and the profession would be mad to capitulate.

Ian Schlazer
London SE8

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