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The National Union of Community Pharmacists (Snapo) calls for urgent action by the authorities concerned against illegal practices in the distribution of pharmaceutical products and calls on pharmacists to boycott the distribution operators responsible for this situation.
Karim Merghemi, president of Snapo, declared this Sunday to Le Jeune Indépendant that “Sapo denounces the irresponsible behavior of certain pharmaceutical operators who withhold stock and impose concomitant sales on pharmacists”.
He added that this situation has created great professional and technical difficulties for pharmacists, who are struggling to provide these drugs to patients in sufficient quantities and in a timely manner. It also revealed the “bitter reality” of cases of non-compliance by certain operators with their commitments to execute manufacturing and import programs on time and in the desired quantities.
The president of the union thus outlined the problematic practices that plague the sector, in particular the concomitant and opaque sale of medicines. This practice not only inflicts considerable economic damage on pharmacies, but above all it disrupts access to medicines for patients, according to Mr. Merghemi. The drugs most affected are often those in a monopolistic situation, manufactured by a single producer, with the complicity of certain wholesalers, according to the president of Snapo.
He cited, as an example, “vitamin D3 which costs 100 DA per box but to obtain a few boxes, the pharmacist is obliged to buy for the equivalent of 100,000 DA, which weighs very heavily on the operation of certain pharmacies”.
Mr. Merghemi also denounced the retention of stocks, stating that “there are shortage situations caused by certain operators, with the complicity of certain distributors, in order to impose these concomitant sales.”
Mr. Merghemi was keen to point out that the union had denounced, in a press release made public, these illegal practices of certain wholesale distributors of pharmaceutical products against community pharmacists, which are “coercive, inhumane and contrary to the ethics and deontology of the pharmaceutical profession”, insisting on the fact that this leads to serious disruptions and a shortage of certain medicines.
Faced with this situation, Snapo called on all pharmacists to “boycott wholesale pharmaceutical distribution establishments that impose restrictions and illegal and unethical commercial conditions on them, as well as against current regulations.”
In addition, Snapo wanted to inform public opinion that the union will launch a digital platform in the coming days to report the practices and pressures experienced in the field, as well as to allow the notification of unavailable or under strain medicines. . , and this by mentioning the name of the supplier who does not have them, in order to coordinate as best as possible with the competent authorities to fight against this scourge.
In the face of this growing crisis, the union urged the Ministry of Industry and Pharmaceutical Production to intensify control operations, believing that concrete measures are necessary to deter these harmful practices and ensure a smooth and fair distribution of pharmaceutical products throughout the national territory. All the more so since in recent times, a sharp decline in the number of controls and inspection tours, which had nevertheless proven their effectiveness, has been observed.
The Snapo President also stressed the need for a thorough and rapid review of the regulations to strengthen transparency and ethics in the drug circuit. In addition, to improve the traceability and efficiency of the pharmaceutical circuit, the union advocated for the complete digitalization of all stages of the drug supply chain. This transition to a digital system will not only make it possible to detect and eliminate illicit practices more quickly, but also to ensure optimized management of stocks and deliveries, thus guaranteeing constant availability of essential medicines in pharmacies.
Finally, Snapo insisted on the need to restructure the monitoring observatory on the availability of pharmaceutical products, considering that currently, its expanded composition does not ensure adequate representation of stakeholders in the field. The union proposed the creation of specific technical commissions, made up of real representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, responsible for regularly monitoring the availability of medicines and formulating practical recommendations and effective solutions to resolve problems.