Community pharmacy is being “attacked” from all angles – with Brexit uncertainty, the Falsified Medicines Directive and “the vagaries of category M”, McKesson UK chief executive Toby Anderson told C+D yesterday (March 13).

Lloydspharmacy was “prompted to tackle market changes head on”, by closing “around 70” branches, he added. C+D has identified 78 Lloydspharmacies deemed “commercially unviable” that have closed, and another 104 have been sold, since October 2017.

“Our competitors have now acknowledged that keeping their bricks and mortar sites open is becoming more and more challenging,” Mr Anderson told C+D in an exclusive comment piece.

“We are being forced to remove vital services from communities at a time when our NHS is under more and more pressure.”

Last month, Rowlands put 70 branches up for sale to focus on a “slightly smaller pharmacy network”.

Read why Mr Anderson believes business rate changes are needed to ensure healthcare remains “accessible”.