Last week I participated in a round table on pharmacy. The biggest concern right now is when the government will pay the bill. The pharmacists are waiting four months but things suggest that may worsen. In such situation the pharmaceutical dispensing problems are so immediate that the challenges for the pharmaceutical distribution will be delayed for another day.
Beyond the issue of payment, I focused my speech on the need to make the most of economies of scale in dispensing drugs. The current situation is unsustainable, and unless there is a reform led by proposals from the professional side, the market and the state will decide the future. The excess of capacity is around us, you can see pharmacies with practically no stocks and daily distribution from more than 4 wholesalers in each pharmacy. The number of wholesalers is beyond what should be expected in this sector.
The time for a new structure of pharmaceutical distribution has arrived. Has anybody heard about it?
