Exporters must overrule their selfish gene

There is a degree of double standards in the current debate. While people are rightfully concerned by 'parallel exporting' causing shortages of medicines, I don't recall anyone being concerned about possible shortages in the countries from which we were 'parallel importing' medication on a large scale few years ago! That aside, I cannot see the current problem being long lasting. With the rate the Euro is falling against the pound, parallel exports to Europe will not be financially viable for much longer

Stephen, you are spot on with your observations. In the past, the UK tariff was adjusted in the light that UK pharmacists were expected to dispense parallel imports when it was advantageous to import medicines. It's a different story now the situation has reversed.

What the UK government should do is to threaten suppliers of medicines to the UK market that if they cannot guarantee continuity of supply to our patients, then their product licenses will be suspended. Bet they find a way of improving the supply chain then.

Exporting drugs whether by manufacturers or
By wholesalers bring revenue to Britain
That's why we have all this delay in the government
Doing something about this !!
Why can't GP'S prescribe generic equivalents to those
Medicines in question or other branded medicines that are available
Med reps are few and GP'S are not aware of which meds are in short supply
They still keep on prescribing them
Then we don't have this ethics problem and I'm sure the manufactures will invest
In producing more quantities to address this
Look all I'm saying.. is if there is a demand for a product
Then double or treble production ... What's the problem ????
Every one happy including shareholders

what a load of tosh.
medicines are a commodity like anything else which should be freely traded all over europe whay else have a common market. The government have recognised that medicines are a common commodity by the removal of retail price maintenance, so they can't have it both ways. Can anybody remember how roche manipulated their inter country pricing structures to maximise revenue.(70s?). I fully expect the biggest exporters to be the companies themselves.

Roll on the greek currency bombing and bring back good old importing which will only add to the woes of the government at least when we are exporting we are gaining from abroad.
The fault lies with the MBA graduates who cannot forecat accurately enough the demand for their products, why arn't they looking at european scale forecatsing any way.

In the week we saw drs refusing to do their job.In the year we saw a pharmacist struck off for falsifying a patient satisfaction survey,here we have this little piece of poorly thought out journalism!No one complained about products coming into this country!Did xrayser ever dispense an imported drug?To then crow on about how he is thinking about his patients first!The fault lies directly at the door of manufacturers manipulating the market for there own financial gains!End of!Free trade?Double standards!