Pharmacy Voice is formed of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp) and the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA). The lobbying group announced last week that it will disband when the NPA stops its funding at the end of 2017.

The CCA – which consists of the eight largest multiples – said all three of Pharmacy Voice's member associations "are still working together to clarify" how they will be represented post-Pharmacy Voice.

"We will make an announcement on this aspect of representation when we are ready," it told C+D yesterday (February 7).

Pharmacy Voice chief executive Rob Darracott told C+D yesterday that he is unable to comment on how the CCA and AIMp will be represented at a national level once it disbands.

The NPA’s funding announcement came in December, but Mr Darracott said pharmacists and other organisations had initially “not quite understood” what this meant for the lobbying group.

“We kept being faced with questions as to how we would adapt the organisation, when actually we can’t," he said.

“We had known for a while that there is an implication to the NPA's decision,” Mr Darracott added. "So we thought we might as well get it out there".