Chemists to cut shop hours and services

Pharmaceutical wholesalers are bracing for surges in demand when 60-day dispensing is brought in.

Pharmacies are bracing for a medication surge when the new 60-day dispensing system is brought in.

The body representing pharmaceutical wholesalers in Australia says it is bracing for medicine demand surges when 60-day dispensing is introduced and is calling for an industry-wide consultation process to begin immediately to properly consider all aspects of the new policy and manage medicine access.

The National Pharmaceutical Services Association says introduction of longer dispensing will trigger “a range of complex new systems and logistics issues” for wholesalers and retailers and contingencies will be required.

At the same time, pharmacy owners across the nation say they will be forced to close up at weekends and reduce services they can deliver to patients because of the impact of 60-day dispensing.

They are planning to begin charging for blood pressure checks and scale back provision of blood glucose testing along with other health checks that have generally been provided free and subsidised by dispensing fees, which are set to be reduced.

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia ran a survey of 1500 members and found a majority were planning to scale back opening hours and services. Four in five pharmacies that provide aged-care health services are planning to discontinue the service.

The average pharmacy stands to lose $170,000 a year in revenue as a result of the introduction of 60-day dispensing.

“Pharmacists want cheaper medicines for our patients (but) it can’t be at the cost of vital services we’re already providing, nor do we want to have to close earlier or on weekends to absorb the impact,” said Pharmacy Guild president Trent Twomey. “The reality is not everyone benefits from this policy, but everyone who relies on their local pharmacy will suffer.”

Mr Twomey said pharmacists were expecting to struggle to provide medicine for some common conditions like cholesterol, diabetes and depression. “Some patients will get double the medicines they need, others will miss out altogether,” he said.

Responding to questions about whether medicine short­ages could be expected as result of the introduction of 60-day dispensing, the NPSA said it expected demand surges would occur in particular at the beginning of the change.

“The potential for surges can occur for many reasons, including a pandemic or regulation changes,” said NPSA chair Richard Vincent.

“Our experience tells us to expect similar behaviour and medicine availability challenges if 60-day dispensing is implemented as proposed.

“In addition, there are a range of complex new systems and logistics issues relating to 60-day ordering and distribution.”

The federal government in April announced it would move to introduce 60-day dispensing from September, acting on a recommendation from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee first put forward in 2018.

Under the change, patients will be able to get a two-month supply of medicine for the price of one PBS co-payment.

PBAC chair Andrew Wilson rejected the suggestion there would be mass medicine short­ages in advice to government.