Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - (Page 19) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe January 2008 Executive Profile 19 compliance, increasing genericisation across many therapeutic categories — and how it could be better served by putting the pharmacist back firmly into the equation. By scanning medicines at the point of dispensing, Aegate’s technology enables pharmacists to check in real time whether a medicine is counterfeit, expired or whether it has been recalled. It also creates a communication network between the pharmacist and the pharmaceutical manufacturers, allowing messages to be conveyed to the patient at the point of dispense. Noon explains: “The industry has become very focused on the doctor as gatekeeper. But the doctor’s power has diminished in many markets, so there’s an opportunity to go and reach the patient. This is where the pharmacist comes in.” Noon wants to give power back to the pharmacist. With the development of the huge pharmacy chains in the US, for example, a lot of the personal service that the pharmacist traditionally supplied has been lost. “The bulk of our market, as an industry, is the post65s; they are on the long-term, chronic therapies. People with the asymptomatic conditions,“ says Noon. “A lot of patients traditionally came back to the pharmacy because they knew Fred the pharmacist; they knew Fred was going to help them. In the US, with their huge chains, they have lost that connection. They have high turnover rates. Fred’s only there for two weeks, so there isn’t the same connection to the patient. Consequently, patient compliance rates have gone down, and patients have gone in large numbers onto mail order delivery.” Aegate’s technology aims to alleviate compliance problems not just by encouraging the pharmacist to give advice, but with special messaging and reminder services.“We can send information to thepatients, through the pharmacist, concerning their particular prescription. regulation.” He goes on: “The problem for large companies with following the regulations is that you may not get what you want, whereas we can offer a very low-cost solution.” Even so, Noon agrees that the authorities need to take a harder line on the problem. “There has to be a multi-faceted approach to fighting counterfeiting. The regulations have to be made more demanding… If you buy a cheap Rolex watch, you know it’s a counterfeit. You know it will probably break down. The trouble with pharmaceuticals is that people don’t know: they are being conned and also their lives are being put at risk — it’s a far worse situation. So the penalties have to be increased appropriately. This is a crime that can kill people. But all you get as a counterfeiter is a fine — you can write it off as a business expense.” There has to be a multi-faceted approach to fighting counterfeiting. The regulations have to be made more demanding. This is a crime that can kill people. A safer future A company promising such advances, as Aegate is, in the fight against counterfeiting and the quest for better patient compliance should certainly make the industry — not to mention the payers and regulators — sit up and take notice. But Noon is also eager to point out his technology’s role in underlining the importance of a patient’s connection with the brand. Here, again, the pharmacist can be in foreground. “The pharmacist has been treated by industry as just a distribution point rather than as a way to valueadd their brand.” Noon adds: “The whole thing is really about patient safety and enhancing the role of the pharmacy. I think if we do that, we can also address the needs of the industry in terms of rebuilding brand concept with the patient.” It certainly seems that, if Noon has anything to do with it, the pharmacist will play a large part in guaranteeing a safer future for patients. Combating the counterfeiters Compliance is, of course, a huge thorn in the industry’s side, but counterfeiting can cause even more pain. It is estimated that more than 10% of drugs worldwide are counterfeit, and in some countries more than 50% of the drug supply chain is made up of counterfeits. In Europe, 560000 counterfeit medicines were seized at the EU’s borders in 2005, which was a 100% increase on the previous year. In the UK last year, three cases of counterfeit drugs — Zyprexa, Casodex and Plavix — were found within two weeks of each other. Noon points out that Aegate is the first company to provide an operational solution to counterfeiting. Using an individual package’s unique barcode, the pharmacist can use the technology to verify the authenticity of each medicine dispensed. If a unique number on a scanned product cannot be automatically authenticated against those in a secure database, the pharmacist is immediately alerted. Noon believes that, as far as anticounterfeiting measures are concerned, “the industry should lead rather than follow the
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 Contents From the Editor News and Analysis Calendar Corporate Strategy: Walking the Line Executive Profile: The Pharmacist’s Friend Q&A: An End to Drug Counterfeiting Healthcare Cost Assessment: Ready to Make NICE? Pricing and Reimbursement: Through the Reimbursement Barriers Generics: India Inc. The Mix: New Models of Excellence Last Word: Mid-size Matters Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 (Page 1) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 (Page 2) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - From the Editor (Page 4) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - From the Editor (Page 5) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - News and Analysis (Page 6) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - News and Analysis (Page 7) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - News and Analysis (Page 8) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - News and Analysis (Page 9) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - News and Analysis (Page 10) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - News and Analysis (Page 11) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Calendar (Page 12) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Calendar (Page 13) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Corporate Strategy: Walking the Line (Page 14) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Corporate Strategy: Walking the Line (Page 15) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Corporate Strategy: Walking the Line (Page 16) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Corporate Strategy: Walking the Line (Page 17) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Executive Profile: The Pharmacist’s Friend (Page 18) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Executive Profile: The Pharmacist’s Friend (Page 19) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Q&A: An End to Drug Counterfeiting (Page 20) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Q&A: An End to Drug Counterfeiting (Page 21) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Healthcare Cost Assessment: Ready to Make NICE? (Page 22) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Healthcare Cost Assessment: Ready to Make NICE? (Page 23) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Healthcare Cost Assessment: Ready to Make NICE? (Page 24) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Pricing and Reimbursement: Through the Reimbursement Barriers (Page 25) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Pricing and Reimbursement: Through the Reimbursement Barriers (Page 26) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Pricing and Reimbursement: Through the Reimbursement Barriers (Page 27) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Generics: India Inc. (Page 28) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Generics: India Inc. (Page 29) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Generics: India Inc. (Page 30) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - The Mix: New Models of Excellence (Page 31) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - The Mix: New Models of Excellence (Page 32) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - The Mix: New Models of Excellence (Page 33) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - The Mix: New Models of Excellence (Page 34) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - January 2008 - Last Word: Mid-size Matters (Page 35)
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