News
28 September 2007
European Pharmacists Forum goes to Prague
The third European Pharmacists Forum (EPF) of 2007 took place in Prague on 27 and 28 September. The seminar included an overview of the Czech market, as well as a wide range of presentations and interactive discussions.
Elvire Kuyck, EPF President, welcomed the delegates before introducing the first speaker, Jan Rohrbacher, General Manager of Alliance Healthcare, Czech Republic. Jan presented an overview of the current situation in the Czech pharmaceutical market - covering the healthcare strategy and the likelihood of widespread reforms, and their implications. This was followed by Laetitia Lecesne, of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Internal Markets, whose presentation was based on the theme of the ‘Establishment of pharmacies and pharmacy services in Community law.’
During the second part of the first day’s programme, Sjaak De Vries, Wholesale Director CEE Region, Alliance Healthcare gave an overview on virtual chains, pharmacy chains and franchising which was followed by a lively debate. Sjaak emphasised that “virtual chains are about building a partnership between independent pharmacies and preferred partners” and discussed ways in which membership of a virtual chain can add value to pharmacists’ service offering.
On the second day, Ornella Barra, Board Member and Wholesale & Commercial Affairs Director, Alliance Boots, started with an update on Alliance Boots. She put into perspective several key developments such as the recent acquisition of Alliance Boots. Ornella said: “In the dramatically changing world of pharmaceutical services, this (acquisition) represents a valuable opportunity to move swiftly and to create a truly global company by expanding into new territories.”
Elvire Kuyck then introduced sessions on all four of the EPF’s working groups: Pharmacy - the Hub for Healthcare (Working Group 1), The Pharmacy-Patient relationship (Working Group 2), European Healthcare Policy (Working Group 3) and Services linking Manufacturers to the Pharmacy (Working Group 4).
The forum was concluded with each group presenting their individual feedback on the topics covered during the seminar.
