Supply chain controls blamed for UK medicines shortage
pharmafile | August 27, 2009 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development | supply chain
Industry supply chain controls in the UK have overwhelmingly made medicines more difficult to source and have put patients risk, according to a poll of of pharmacists.
Chemist + Druggist magazine found 78% of pharmacists surveyed said it has been harder to get hold of products from manufacturers running wholesaler distribution models.
Patients are suffering because of shortages in some branded medicines, with Roche's Xenical and Lilly's Zyprexa the most difficult to obtain.
On a wider measure of availability, nearly a quarter of chemists said between 20 and 50 drugs were currently out of stock at their wholesalers, with 14% saying the figure was more than 50.
This led the vast majority of pharmacists (89%) to admit they were very concerned patients would be affected, with 11% saying they had some concern.
And nearly a third of respondents said patients had suffered because of trouble sourcing a drug.
Pharmacists reported seeing peoples condition's worsen, with panic attacks and even hospital admittance the result of drugs not being available.
While only 5% of respondents said they had practised parallel exporting themselves, the trade is being blamed for some of the problems thrown up by the survey.
Others believe a weak pound and strong Euro have resulted in increased demand for UK medicines from UK pharmacies and internationally.
"Manufacturers are oversupplying the UK," said David Fisher, commercial director of the ABPI.
But as UK prices are low compared to other European countries, patients are being put at risk because medicines intended for UK patients are being diverted for export.
Martin Sawer, executive director of the British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers, said: "The burden on pharmacists sourcing medicines is increasing."
He blamed overlapping factors including manufacturers UK stock allocations, increased price incentives for export, plus reduced wholesale models.
Combined, they "mean there is less resilience in the branded medicines supply chain," he concluded.
On a slightly brighter note for pharma manufacturers, the survey presented a decent picture of their customer service efforts.
A tenth of pharmacies thought manufacturers were excellent when they had to order a product from them direct.
More than a quarter said service was good, with 41% calling it satisfactory.
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