UK drug wholesaler ask for ABPI help over PPRS

The British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers has written to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry to ask for additional cooperation over the notification of price changes before January 6, 2009, under the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme, which is being reformed (Marketletters passim). "Unlike pharmacy, wholesalers do not benefit from a one-month transition period, so the full-line wholesalers are keen to be as prepared as possible in the run-up to a price change, in order to lessen the potential for a disruption to the supply of UK medicines," Martin Sawer, the BAPW's executive director, wrote. He also drew attention to the need to agree with ABPI members a mechanism to compensate for drugs held in stock by wholesalers on February 1.

Responding to the letter, David Fisher, commercial director of the ABPI, said: "we agree that a smooth transition to new pricing arrangements is in the interest of everyone, and no doubt wholesalers will wish to avoid shortages due to inappropriately low stock holding."