Pharmacy Daily | Stop Hunger Games of supply chain

THE Pharmacy Guild of Australia has pulled out all stops in an attempt to stop the expected move in the May Budget to allow 60-day dispensing for over 300 medicines (PD 21 Apr).

Pharmacy Guild branch committee members in posts on LinkedIn are urging "all pharmacists to talk to their local MPs before it's too late" with MP names and their constituencies listed.

Greenfield Pharmacy owner and Gold Coast Young Business Woman of the Year winner pharmacist Amy Ford scrutinised the move which on the surface she said appears as a "well-intentioned move towards patient convenience" but in reality is a "hasty decision with potential pitfalls" that include she said:

Financial implications - the policy could strain patients and pharmacies as patients struggle to afford their medicines up-front, while pharmacies face reduced cash flow and increased inventory costs.

Medication wastage - with millions of dollars of unused medicines wasted annually, the 60-day dispensing proposal would potentially exacerbate wastage as increased quantities are unused due to changes in prescriptions or adverse effects.

Patient monitoring - with reduced patient-pharmacist interactions under this proposal, patients would go in less often to fill their scripts. How can support and adherence monitoring be provided? Ford asked.

Misuse risks - larger medication supplies may increase the risk of accidental overdose, misuse or diversion. Is the convenience worth risking patient safety? Ford said.

Medication shortages - this is already a pressing issue in Australia, with a lack of viable alternatives sometimes.

The 60-day policy might exacerbate current shortages, putting a strain on patients' access to essential medications and pharmacies' ability to maintain supply, Ford commented.

Speaking to Radio 3AW Melbourne, Anthony Tassone, Guild's Vic branch President admits he is "very concerned and worried" for the supply chain of medication if changes are made to medical prescriptions.

"We have enough difficulty at the pharmacy level supplying 30 days of a prescription medicine and going to 60 days could mean that even more patients will go without.

"We don't want to see The Hunger Games for the supply chain.

"We don't want to return to what happened at the start of the COVID pandemic and what resulted which was the TGA getting involved saying we need to manage how much we give patients at a time," Tassone said, adding there is a risk of hospitalisations and surgeries due to access to medicines.

Last week, the 01 Jul move was revealed in draft Budget papers that the Guild's dire predictions claim could result in 1,000 foreclosures.