Online prescriptions given go-ahead as part of reforms
pharmafile | September 1, 2004 | News story | |Â Â Â
The opening of online pharmacies has been given the go-ahead by the UK government, signalling the latest phase of a rapid revolution in the sector's services.
A wave of reforms intended to transform community pharmacists are now being launched, and while they are somewhat fragmented, they all have the aim of transforming pharmacists into truly frontline healthcare professionals offering a wide range of services.
The deregulation of internet sales is part of one set of changes intended to make it easier for patients to gain access to pharmacies which would stay open longer and provide more services.
The reforms come in response to recommendations last year by the Office of Fair Trading, which advised opening up high street pharmacists to greater competition from supermarket chains, but this was staunchly opposed in many quarters. Health minister Rosie Winterton unveiled the compromise plans which are aimed at encouraging more long-opening pharmacies in out of town supermarkets while preserving the accessible high street stores.
"These reforms continue to support the government's aims to put the needs of patients first, ensuring that local health services reflect the changing lifestyles and needs of patients. We are maintaining the vital role played by community pharmacies, particularly in poorer and rural areas, many of whom are small businesses."
The government's safeguards include:
- Pharmacies located in shopping centres over 15,000 square metres, must be away from town centres
- Pharmacies that are set up by consortia establishing new one-stop primary care centres must offer a wide range of primary care and community based services in addition to usual GP services, for instance, dentistry, optometry, podiatry, or other social or community based services to a substantial population of around 18,000 to 20,000 patients
- Pharmacies that are wholly internet or mail-order based must provide a fully professional service
- Pharmacies that commit to opening more than 100 hours per week must stick to this commitment
Despite these checks and balances, representatives of independent pharmacy owners fear the reforms will drive them out of business. Nucare, a co-operative representing around 1,200 pharmacies said the plans were not compatible with planned networks of pharmacies.
Mahesh Shah, Nucare managing director said: "The implementation of the proposals will have exactly the opposite effect to that intended. It will lead to the closure of a significant number of pharmacies, leaving some communities without access to local pharmacy services. The majority of patients who visit a pharmacy are over 50, and are not necessarily mobile. They are happy with the current distribution of pharmacies. There would be no savings to the public purse and, in fact, the indirect costs of deregulation would far outweigh any savings."
Concerns have also been raised about patient safety in regard to online pharmacies, with the US experience of deregulation fuelling unregulated and sometimes illegal sale of medicines, including counterfeits.
Speaking in connection with the recent discovery of counterfeit Cialis in the UK the ABPI's new Director General Dr Richard Barker said he did not believe the government should reconsider its plans for online pharmacies, but said launch safeguards needed to be in place.
