Numark slams manufacturer quotas as ‘a weapon of commercial protection’
| Numark has hit out at medicines manufacturers over stock shortages, accusing the companies of using quota systems "as a weapon of commercial protection". | |
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Although quotas used to manage supply of limited stocks into the market and protect supplies to patients could be a good thing, Numark managing director John D'Arcy (pictured) warned: "The reality appears to be that they are being used by manufacturers more as a weapon of commercial protection."
Mr D'Arcy described the use of quotas as "arbitrary and opaque" and called it "the one area that creates the biggest problem for pharmacists". He called for manufacturers to make the quota system more transparent. The comments came as part of Numark's response to the all-party pharmacy group (APPG) inquiry into medicines' shortages, launched on last year. |
John D'Arcy: "quotas are arbitrary and opaque" |
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The group said it believed the current supply issues were in the main a consequence of manufacturers "adjusting their processes to cut costs in response to a changing market". "The combination of the resultant direct to pharmacy, reduced wholesaling models and the associated system of quotas is reducing the availability of stock in the market while simultaneously reducing choice and competition", it said. The group also highlighted the lack of impact of the supply chain best practice guidance published last year and warned that pharmacists now faced an "over burdensome layer of administration". The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has previously stressed that its member companies are "signed up to and following the best practice guidance". The ABPI also argued last November that medicine shortages were "primarily" caused by the export of medicines intended for UK patients, and said the pharmaceutical industry had taken "many additional steps" to ensure that it was over-producing and supplying the quantities of medicines needed by UK patients. The deadline for submissions to the APPG inquiry has been extended to January 20, after the group received a higher than expected number of submissions. For all the latest news on the supply chain, including preliminary results of the C+D Stocks Survey 2011, click here. |
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