"In Spain, pharmacies are becoming convinced that they need to change in depth. The core topic can be found in moving from dispensing to care and service pharmacies, more involved in the healthcare system". So says César Martínez Recari, non-executive chairman of Alliance Healthcare España, the wholesale distribution and commercial affairs division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, the first pharma-oriented global health and wellness business .

The expert, former student of the School of Pharmacy of the University of Navarra, gave a session on the Spanish pharmaceutical market within the subject "management Pharmaceuticals", aimed at 4th year students and students of the Diploma of management.

For this reason, the executive explains that the conversion of pharmacies "is necessary because it is the way to continue to be essential for society, at a time when everything is changing at great speed, and because the drug market and its trend alone do not guarantee the economic viability of pharmacies". For this reason, he adds, "additional sources of income must be sought through paid professional services".

Today, he adds, pharmacists are already adapting to these changes in different ways: "through training in more commercial areas, such as marketing and merchandising, and by providing new services that differentiate them from neighboring pharmacies". A novel phenomenon in this field is the grouping of pharmacies to obtain certain services, even if the ownership remains with a pharmacist: "It allows them to have experts to help them reorganize their space and stock, campaigns, new services for customers, etc., with the idea of building customer loyalty," he stresses.

model Anglo-Saxon or model mediterranean

Regarding the difference in management between the Anglo-Saxon and Mediterranean pharmacy models, César Martínez explains that in the United Kingdom the Administration is more aware that pharmacies "can and should provide other services in addition to dispensing and that these services should be remunerated to facilitate the viability of pharmacies, although they are currently facing a 6% price drop".

In the case of the U.S., moreover, legislation and the reality of the country itself, with great distances, means that the sale of prescription and over-the-counter drugs has developed more there: "In Spain, where there are almost 22,000 pharmacies and the vast majority of citizens have a pharmacy in their town or several pharmacies within a radius of 300 meters, it is more difficult for online sales to prosper. It is not worth it to consumers to add shipping costs, to wait to receive the product -which in addition here can only be non-prescription drugs-, and not to have the expert's committee , which they do get at the pharmacy", concludes the expert from Navarre.

More information about this session is available at diary of the School.