Drug distribution: update.(Office of Fair Trading's investigations)(Brief article)

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has launched an investigation into the way medicines are distributed across the UK. Several large pharmaceutical firms have recently changed their distribution practices or are considering doing so, and the OFT will study the impact this could have on competition, the NHS and patients. In March, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK said it was considering changing its distribution from a system involving wholesalers to a direct-to-pharmacy model. This followed …