Entering the UK Medicine Distribution Market

The UK subsidiary of a major French based medical devices manufacturing company approached Pharmacy Consulting Ltd (PCL) for support and advice concerning how they could become distributors of specific medicines to their UK customers, alongside their medical device distribution business.

The Pharmacy Consulting solution

A visit to the customer’s premises and proposed warehouse facility was followed by providing practical assistance in drafting a set of working procedures for the ordering, receipt, storage and distribution of medicines. Assistance was also provided in making the License application and attending the MHRA inspector’s visit which was both successful and resulted in the company being complimented upon its pre-inspection preparation.

PCL was then pleased to later be able to support the application of the client’s technical manager to take over the role of Responsible person having gained the requisite experience and training by working with PCL for 12 months. At that point it was recommended and agreed the senior consultant from PCL should become the deputy RP, so that in the unforeseen absence of the employed RP there was still a back up to allow trading in medicines to continue.

At the present time, the customer is preparing to move their entire business to one combined warehouse/office complex and PCL is advising the company RP on the MHRA aspects of this major investment.

Customer benefits

By following the adopted approach, the company have trained an employee to take over the RP role, thus developing an employee. At the same time they have retained an external advisor and contract deputy to cover any unexpected eventualities. The initial license application was obtained at first attempt and the company were thus able to meet a commercial challenge and begin distributing a range of medicines containing products, within their desired timescale.