Astellas distribution plans provoke concerns for contract negotiators
Pharmacy contract negotiators are worried that Astellas Pharma’s new distribution deal with UniChem will add another level of complexity to medicines ordering arrangements for pharmacists.
Astellas announced last week that it would supply its tacrolimus products
Prograf and Advagraf direct
to pharmacies using UniChem as the sole service
provider (PJ, 17 November 2007, p551).
Community Pharmacy Scotland has restated its opposition to the principle
of single-channel direct-to-pharmacy distribution models, maintaining
that such models will have detrimental effects on the stability of the
current wholesaler network and the continuity of medicines supply.
Alex
MacKinnon, CPS head of corporate affairs, said: “Community
Pharmacy Scotland is concerned at the very short notice and handover
period announced
for this change and feels that the short handover period could, in itself,
lead to more supply problems for patients.
“Again, with the introduction
of another single-channel direct-to-pharmacy distribution arrangement,
we now have yet another ordering process, increasing levels of bureaucracy
and administration for community pharmacists.”
The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating committee concurs: “The
lack of consultation and lack of notice provided to the pharmacy market
risks continuity of supply to patients during the transition to the new
arrangements, for example, if pharmacy staff are unaware that they may
need to change the way that they order these products.”
The PSNC also believes that pharmacists were struggling to obtain Prograf
from wholesalers because of quotas imposed by the manufacturer.
Amit Makwana, Astellas managing director, said some
wholesalers were ordering vast amounts of tacrolimus product and that
much of it was being
sold on to traders. As the marketing authorisation holder of the product,
Astellas has an obligation to make sure that UK patients are not going
without, he said, adding that Astellas needed to limit the amount supplied
in such instances. “It is not an infinity supply situation,” he
said.
The decision to go with one distributor, he added, was not taken lightly. “We
have discussed the background and solutions with the [trade and industry
department], the Department of Health and the Office of Fair Trading,
among other groups.”
Letters p588 |
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