The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7431 p725
16 December 2006

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

MPs concerned over Pfizer's “anti-pharmacy” plans

Over 20 members of Parliament have backed a motion expressing alarm at the potential impact on patient access to essential medicines of Pfizer's proposals for distributing products in the UK.

The motion, tabled by David Taylor (Lab, Leicestershire North West), claims the arrangements represent an “unacceptable risk by placing responsibility for distributing Pfizer medicines to every UK pharmacy with just one company. … The new proposals would place a bureaucratic burden on pharmacists at the expense of patient contact time.”

He urged ministers to launch an urgent investigation into Pfizer’s “anti-competitive, anti-community pharmacy, anti-patient and anti-NHS” proposals.