- Why is change necessary
- Which AstraZeneca products are included in the new arrangements?
- Who do I contact to set up an account?
- Is there a difference between your two agency partners?
- How much additional paperwork will there be to reconcile my purchases, discount and rebate?
- What if I don't sign up to this new delivery service?
- How will AstraZeneca guarantee the availability of medicines for community pharmacy, dispensing doctors, hospitals and patients?
- What happens if I have complaints about the new suppliers?
- What discount will I be receiving?
- What will the average discount rate be?
- Have you communicated these discount terms to the PSNC, CPS, CPW, PCCNI, DDA and the DH?
- How does this affect my DN/Contract?
- You have recently added some of your medicines to the ZD list. Which ones and what does this mean for me?
- Why didn't you do this before?
- What are these patient support programmes all about?
- How do I sign up for the patient support programmes?
- What is your new supply and delivery service for non-dispensing doctors all about?
- Which medicines will be included in the new supply and delivery service for non-dispensing doctors?
- Who do I contact to set up an account?
You can contact our agency partners now to discuss your requirements:
AAH Pharmaceuticals Ltd UniChem Limited
Tel: 0844 561 8899 Tel: 0800 389 3455
Email: azqueries@aah.co.uk Email: sales_customersupport@unichem.co.uk
For NI customers: AAH can provide you with details of how to open an account, or UniChem will provide you with details of how to open an account with its sub-contracted partner Sangers (NI) Ltd.
- How much additional paperwork will there be to reconcile my purchases, discount and rebate?
It is our aim to minimise paperwork associated with our new supply and delivery service. We are working with our agency partners to achieve this.
UniChem: If you already have an account with UniChem there will be no change to the paperwork you currently receive. AstraZeneca medicines will appear on a single UniChem statement. If you are currently a Pfizer only customer, you will receive one UniChem statement with Pfizer subtotal and AstraZeneca subtotal. UniChem will look at ways to reduce paperwork in the future. If you are a pharmacist or dispensing doctor who qualifies for a rebate, AstraZeneca will send you a statement about this.
AAH: If you already have an account with AAH there will be no change to the paperwork you currently receive. If you are a pharmacist or dispensing doctor who qualifies for a rebate, AstraZeneca will send you a statement about this.
- What if I don't sign up to this new delivery service?
We have selected two agency partners to supply our medicines to all our customers: AAH and UniChem.
If you do not already have an account with one of these agency partners and you choose not to open one, you will be unable to order AstraZeneca medicines directly from us.
- How will AstraZeneca guarantee the availability of medicines for community pharmacy, dispensing doctors, hospitals and patients?
AstraZeneca has put in place robust service levels to support the delivery and availability of our medicines for all our customers.
We are committed to ensuring that our medicines are delivered to those who need them, when they need them. In the rare circumstance that neither agency partner can supply the medicine you need, you will be able to contact AstraZeneca directly via the Supply Chain Team on 0800 032 0501.
- What discount will I be receiving?
From 2 February 2008 all AstraZeneca medicines will be placed within one of four bands. Each band will carry a different percentage of discount that will be deducted from the NHS list price by AstraZeneca at the point of purchase from our agency partners. An additional rebate will be paid to pharmacy and dispensing doctor customers who make a certain level of purchases in a month. AstraZeneca’s new team of commercial and supply chain managers will be in contact with customers who qualify for such a rebate.
You should have received a supply contract, including details of the discount structure we are putting in place. If you have not received this we can send a duplicate copy to you.
- You have recently added some of your medicines to the ZD list. Which ones and what does this mean for me?
From the 1st March 2008, for community pharmacy customers in England and Wales, the following medicines will now be available on the ZD list, which is the list of drugs for which discount is not deducted under Part II of the Drug Tariff.
- Arimidex 1mg tablets
- Casodex 50mg tablets
- Casodex 150mg tablets
- Seroquel 100mg Tablets
- Seroquel 150mg Tablets
- Seroquel 200mg Tablets
- Seroquel 300mg Tablets
This change means that these AstraZeneca medicines now on the ZD list will be exempt from the discount deduction (also known as “clawback”) applied to reimbursement by the Department of Health/NHS.
Entry of products onto the ZD list is governed by criteria for high cost, low volume items where no discount is available, which are set by the Department of Health. Following a decision by AstraZeneca to adjust the basis of calculation of our monthly rebates to exclude these AstraZeneca medicines, these now meet the Department of Health’s criteria.
To ensure that customers will not miss their entitlement to a rebate as a result, AstraZeneca is also adjusting its monthly rebate structure, by making a corresponding downward adjustment to the levels of purchases required to qualify for a monthly rebate.
- Why didn't you do this before?
AstraZeneca’s new supply and delivery service has given us a much more direct relationship with our customers. As a result, we are pleased to have been able to move quickly and effectively in working with the PSNC to achieve this change in the interests of our customers.
- What are these patient support programmes all about?
AstraZeneca is investing significantly in pharmacy-based patient support programmes. Based on extensive consultation with pharmacy customers and industry bodies, these programmes aim to help patients manage their medications and ultimately positively impact their disease treatment outcomes.
Currently, AstraZeneca is exploring several different patient support initiatives and will involve more than 250 pharmacists in the initial phase of these programmes. These initiatives look at opportunities such as identifying patients who require support or education about their medicines and equipping pharmacists with appropriate resources for interventions. A service fee will be available to pharmacists for participating in our patient support programmes.
We want to help pharmacists make patient care an important part of their day and we want to play an active, not passive, role in the future of pharmacy.
- How do I sign up for the patient support programmes?
You can register your interest by emailing the following address: pharmacyadherenceprogramme@astrazeneca.com. Once you have registered your interest, someone from AstraZeneca will be in touch with you to provide you with more details.
- What is your new supply and delivery service for non-dispensing doctors all about?
Most medicines are dispensed to patients by pharmacists, dispensing doctors and hospitals. There are, however, some medicines that can be administered to patients during GP or nurse consultations. These medicines are usually purchased by GPs who are not licensed to dispense medicines, and the medicines are delivered directly to their surgeries.
We have appointed two new agency partners, Pharmaceuticals Direct Limited and PHOENIX Healthcare Distribution Limited to provide a tailored supply and delivery service for these GPs in England and Wales.
- Which medicines will be included in the new supply and delivery service for non-dispensing doctors?
The following AstraZeneca medicines are included in the new supply and delivery service for GPs who are not licensed to dispense medicines:
- Oncology:
- goserelin (Zoladex® 3.6mg and Zoladex® LA 10.8mg)
- Anti-malarial range:
- chloroquine (Avloclor®) tablets
- proguanil hydrochloride (Paludrine®) tablets
- chloroquine/proguanil hydrochloride (Paludrine®/Avloclor®) travel pack
- Local anaesthetic range:
- lidocaine/prilocaine (Emla®) cream (all presentations)
- lidocaine hydrochloride (Xylocaine®) spray
- lidocaine hydrochloride (Xylocaine®) with adrenaline (all presentations)
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