Health care, and specifically the market for medication, is a gigantic concern. Annual revenues of pharmaceutical suppliers measure billions and billions of dollars. Virtually every condition in modern medicine has its associated drugs. Then there are also the alternative therapies, such as naturopathy, or cosmetic treatments and dietary supplements. Pharmacies are the retailers in the market, but on their side they have to negotiate some common issues in their interactions with their OTC medicine wholesaler (OTC stands for over-the-counter).
Importers and manufacturers provide the wholesalers with the products that are sold on to the pharmacies. The wholesale operators therefore should have the ability to analyze prices in terms of the international environment. This may necessitate accommodating the currency exchange rate, or a comparison of the varying features of rival niche offerings, such as fitness supplements or unresearched natural alternative remedies.
Another source of contention in the medication industry is patent. Patented drugs cannot be supplied by anyone other than their manufacturer. This makes their price higher and their supply more limited. Pharmaceutical companies are usually extremely reluctant to relinquish the patent on a successful product and will even try to extend its period of enforcement.
If a patent does eventually expire, other manufacturers try to supply their generic products to the industry. Generic medication is always much cheaper, but it may be manufactured far away, such as overseas. Negotiating successfully with foreign providers so as to acquire the cheapest generic option is something that the wholesaler needs to be able to do.
Besides the question of pricing, the other important consideration in sourcing medication is its efficacy and safety. Medicines are used to alleviate or cure characteristic symptoms of diseases and other disorders. Sometimes, the medicine has side-effects. Their suppliers should thus have the capacity to establish what the chemical composition of a medication is and whether it is going to have the desired effect. At the same time, it must be safe. Imported products might be more difficult to examine, especially if their maker has never exported them to the country previously.
This is particularly important for those who sell OTC medicine. Customers who buy OTC products are not doing so due to the advice or instructions of a doctor. Some customers are able to ask for a specific medication, but others simply arrive at the pharmacy or even the supermarket and ask sales staff for their opinion on the symptoms that they describe. Supplying the right medication may sometimes be more a matter of a very effective non-specific tablet than appropriate medical knowledge or experience.
What exacerbates the absence of a doctor in the OTC process is the lack of education of some patients. They do not understand the chemical action of the medicine or why it is necessary for their condition. They cannot make sense of the package insert either. If they have no prescription, they therefore rely entirely on the dispensing person's opinion. The responsibility of making sure that medicine is appropriate and safe to use then devolves onto the wholesaler.
OTC medicine saves people time and money by removing the need to see the doctor. It is the wholesalers in the industry who establish what is available, by their importing and procurement decisions. They are required to source the most effective products at the lowest possible prices.
Importers and manufacturers provide the wholesalers with the products that are sold on to the pharmacies. The wholesale operators therefore should have the ability to analyze prices in terms of the international environment. This may necessitate accommodating the currency exchange rate, or a comparison of the varying features of rival niche offerings, such as fitness supplements or unresearched natural alternative remedies.
Another source of contention in the medication industry is patent. Patented drugs cannot be supplied by anyone other than their manufacturer. This makes their price higher and their supply more limited. Pharmaceutical companies are usually extremely reluctant to relinquish the patent on a successful product and will even try to extend its period of enforcement.
If a patent does eventually expire, other manufacturers try to supply their generic products to the industry. Generic medication is always much cheaper, but it may be manufactured far away, such as overseas. Negotiating successfully with foreign providers so as to acquire the cheapest generic option is something that the wholesaler needs to be able to do.
Besides the question of pricing, the other important consideration in sourcing medication is its efficacy and safety. Medicines are used to alleviate or cure characteristic symptoms of diseases and other disorders. Sometimes, the medicine has side-effects. Their suppliers should thus have the capacity to establish what the chemical composition of a medication is and whether it is going to have the desired effect. At the same time, it must be safe. Imported products might be more difficult to examine, especially if their maker has never exported them to the country previously.
This is particularly important for those who sell OTC medicine. Customers who buy OTC products are not doing so due to the advice or instructions of a doctor. Some customers are able to ask for a specific medication, but others simply arrive at the pharmacy or even the supermarket and ask sales staff for their opinion on the symptoms that they describe. Supplying the right medication may sometimes be more a matter of a very effective non-specific tablet than appropriate medical knowledge or experience.
What exacerbates the absence of a doctor in the OTC process is the lack of education of some patients. They do not understand the chemical action of the medicine or why it is necessary for their condition. They cannot make sense of the package insert either. If they have no prescription, they therefore rely entirely on the dispensing person's opinion. The responsibility of making sure that medicine is appropriate and safe to use then devolves onto the wholesaler.
OTC medicine saves people time and money by removing the need to see the doctor. It is the wholesalers in the industry who establish what is available, by their importing and procurement decisions. They are required to source the most effective products at the lowest possible prices.
