SIGMA Healthcare has confirmed its withdrawal from next week's Pharmacy Guild of Australia APP conference on the Gold Coast.
The move follows a decision by Sigma to also postpone this year's Amcal and Guardian Retail conference (PD 11 Mar), which was also scheduled to take place in the lead-up to APP.
"Sigma's number one consideration is to limit the potential risk to attendees, given the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Australia," the company said.
"This decision is supported by recent events including the World Health Organization's declaration of a pandemic, and recent confirmed cases in Australia and Queensland in particular," a statement added.
A spokesperson for Sigma said it was unclear at this stage whether the pullout would impact the planned participation of the company's CEO, Mark Hooper, who had previously been announced as part of a key industry panel at APP.
Hooper, who is also Chair of the National Pharmaceutical Services Association, continues to be listed on the APP agenda as a member of the key State of the Industry panel taking place at 8.30 on Thu 19 Mar.
Sigma Healthcare is also still highlighted on the APP2020 website as a "Principal Sponsor" of the event, alongside Pfizer, Arrotex, GuildSuper and Guild Insurance.
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