Condom & NRT Friction Rises

The Pharmacy Guild has proposed a radical change to the way government subsidised condoms and Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) are distributed across the country, as a response to a government consultation about bulk delivery.

Pharmaceutical agency PHARMAC is proposing to award a distribution and logistics service agreement to EBOS offshoot Onelink, with the company then handling orders from eligible consumer groups for delivery to their registered locations.

PHARMAC said the move would reduce the administrative burden and costs for organisations such as the NZ Aids Foundation and the NZ Prostitute’s Collective as well as NRT Authorised Providers. For NRT the plan would simply see a change in the delivery company after Jul 2017, with PHARMAC saying the plan does not affect patients, prescribers, or community or hospital pharmacies.  However the Guild has lodged a submission saying it believes the proposal encourages ordering stock in bulk, increasing costs through expired stock and wastage.

“We have further concerns that awarding a distribution and logistics service agreement with [Onelink] will not meet PHARMAC’s goals of widening options for providing funded pharmaceuticals to patients,” the  Guild said.

As an alternative, the Guild is suggesting an alternative supply model of the items through community pharmacy, allowing the organisations to request supplies on an as-needed basis rather than having to forecast their use and wait on stock distribution from main centres.

PHARMAC has already entered into a provisional deal with Onelink, with the consultation set to “help us decide if the agreement should be finalised”. If it is, the changes would become effective from 01 Jul 2017.

Source: pharmacydaily.com.au, Friday 26 May 2017