Access To Drugmakers Discounts Critical To Pharmacists

Equal access to drug manufacturers' discounts is critical to allow the community pharmacy to compete on equal footing, US National Association of Chain Drugstores president Ron Zeigler told those attending the annual NACDS Pharmacy Conference.

A market dominated by a few mega-firms who control broad formularies, distribution and pricing at every step is not good for the country, the people or the profession of pharmacy, he said. Manufacturers can set their economically justifiable terms - volume, market movement performance, formularies for networks, etc - with all purchasers having equal access to discounts on equal terms.

Vertically integrated drug and pharmacy benefit management mega-firms capturing the bulk of manufacturing, distribution and pricing will mean less competition among single-source and multi-source lines and among generic drugmakers, Mr Zeigler said. Unitary pricing is not being suggested, he added, but only that there is equal access for all pharmacy to manufacturers' discounts.