Balance of a year of changes for the sector of the pharmacies

Madrid, January 2012- 2011 has been for the pharmacy offices, a year of ups and downs, of entry into force of new decrees of falling margins or publication of the new offices of pharmacy Convention. However, has been a year of comings and goings, but above all, and as see you from Asefarma 2011 has been, and should thus be considered, a year of strengthening of ideas such as the need to boost the dynamic management, 12 months that can be used to begin to glimpse the future of this sector with new horizons trying to approach our pharmacy locations in Europe.

A review of this 2011

Several issues that concern to the sector have been finding response and solution throughout the year.

An example of this is that the threat of liberalisation has faded in 2011, especially after the shelve given by the European Commission to the process opened in 2006 against the Spanish legislation which questioned the criteria for regulation and planning of the Spanish pharmaceutical model. A process that also affect regulations of countries such as France, Portugal, Cyprus or Greece.

Economic and financial level, 2011 has brought to the offices of pharmacy further cuts in the margins and own prices of medicines. With the entry into force of the Royal Decrees 4/2010 RD 8, 2010 many pharmacies have seen how to sell the same number of recipes, they checked less at the end of the month ”, explains Patricia Fernández, Subresponsable of the Asefarma accounting department. This, joined the restriction of credit from some financial institutions, or the delay in payments in some autonomous communities, as well as the rapid correction of transmissions market ”, explains José Manuel Retamal, head of the Finance Department of Asefarma, has marked the sector throughout 2011. A sector this year has shown that despite this situation, there are also opportunities.

2011: A year of milestones

But if something should be noted this 2011, would, as explains Eva Mª Illera, head of the Labor Department of Asefarma, the sacrifice many pharmacies have been made to keep their templates, after seeing how their incomes were reduced considerably, despite the fact that the workload was not falling ”. We have found the paradox that some pharmacies is made the same number of sales, or even this is increased, with fewer benefits at the end of exercise ”, detailing the head of the Labor Department of Asefarma. Even adds, with the emergence in some autonomous communities, in certain delays in payments of recipes, some pharmacies have reached articulate dismissals for economic reasons ”.

In addition, in the workplace, could be noted the publication of the Convention of pharmacy, forcing them to upgrade salaries and pay arrears accrued by wage differentials in the past ”, explains the head of the Labor Department of Asefarma.

Milestones in labor, but also in the legal aspect. As explained by Adela Bueno, head of the Legal Department of Asefarma, August surprise pharmacists with a Royal Decree RD 9/2011, figures for the first time sales between pharmacies as administrative offence, and that has meant a blow to them.

With regard to the sale of pharmacies, 2011 has been a year of opportunities. In fact, in Asefarma this year we have come to perform more operations than the previous year, due to security advice as our troop, and especially because both buyers and sellers have noticed there are excellent business opportunities in these times of change.

As explains Carlos García-Mauriñoy, President of Asefarma, is very important that mentality is considered as an opportunity to this historic moment in which it is possible to buy pharmacies in excellent conditions. The delays that are happening in some autonomous communities are cyclical and thus must be taking them ”.

Assessment and advice: you need more management Dynamics for pharmacies

Belinda Jiménez, responsible for management, pharmacy dynamics, Asefarma, explains that if something has shown this 2011 pharmacies is that the industry needs a breakthrough, an evolution. how to example? The trend in terms of the management and the grouping of purchases: If in countries such as France the 60 or 70 per cent of the pharmacies are part of groups of shopping, in Spain barely reached 10%. The vision of the model of pharmacy that is in Europe for nothing is comparable to that we want to keep in our country. And everything must start with a change in the mentality, a change in the management of the Office of pharmacy ”.

An opinion which is also shared by Carlos García-Mauriñoy, President of Asefarma, who believes that despite the bad lived moments, despite the uncertainty that exists about the economic situation, delays in payments in some autonomy and the economic situation in generalthe pharmacist continues to be an agile, dynamic, sector open to improvements which, with total safety, affect a change and a window into the evolution. The answer lies in moving from a passive management to active management of the offices of pharmacies. But above all, moments like this serve to prevail pharmacies with more over-the-counter and those that are have been convinced that now, more than ever, a change is necessary ”.

What is ASEFARMA

It is advised by dynamic management of the pharmacy of reference and whose services are given to more than 300 boticas in throughout the Spanish geography. Its main asset is human capital, and has 43 high-level professionals in the pharmaceutical sector, economists, lawyers and pharmacists at your service. Publishes a quarterly newsletter that receive more than 10,000 pharmacies in all Spain and is market leader in the sales of pharmacies, providing a clear added value in that area regarding its competence. It has excellent Madrid certification and quality issued by EQA, ISO 9001 certification.

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