On the evening of August 6, the official website of Heilongjiang Provincial Drug Administration issued the “Regulations on Online Remote Network Auditing and Prescription of Licensed Pharmacists in Heilongjiang Drug Retail Chain Enterprises (Trial)”, aiming at improving the pharmaceutical service and quality management level of retail chain enterprises. And promote the online remote network review prescription work of licensed pharmacists in the province.
Up to now, the provinces that have clearly stated their support for remote trials and implementation policies have been in Yunnan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Hunan, Jiangxi, Hebei, Hainan, Fujian and other provinces. The policy footprint of the remote trial party has almost covered the whole country. From the analysis of the practical situation, the remote trial work has further deepened the exploration of the country.
People in this industry generally believe that in the short term, the shortage of licensed pharmacists will be eased, and pharmacies will be allowed to undertake prescription outflows. The advantages of remote trials will exist objectively. The new market situation and public demand will further accelerate the reconstruction of the competition pattern in the out-of-hospital market.
Aspect 01: Prescription compliance is a key point
Compliance with the out-of-hospital sales of prescription drugs is the key to all practical explorations. Among the relevant conditions for online remote network review, the policy requirements given by Heilongjiang must meet the following criteria:
1. The drug retail chain headquarters set up a licensed pharmacist remote network trial studio, and the number of licensed pharmacists in the workroom should be compatible with the scale of business operations. Based on at least 3 licensed pharmacists when there ar 20 stores (less than 20), such as those who operate Chinese herbal medicines, one of them must be a practicing Chinese pharmacist; each additional 20 stores (less than 20) Home calculation), should be added with a licensed pharmacist. To increase the number of Chinese medicine medicinal pieces that are operated by the store, the number of licensed Chinese pharmacists is based on the above implementation.
2. Licensed pharmacists engaged in remote network trials may register with the retail chain headquarters and may not work part-time for other businesses.
3. The chain store that implements the remote network trial shall be equipped with at least one person with pharmacy or above to carry out prescription review and pharmacy services; those who operate Chinese medicine decoction should be equipped with one pharmacy or above.
It is not difficult to see from the notification that when the total number of retail chain pharmacies is less than or equal to 20, the number of licensed pharmacists needs to be at least three, and for each additional 20 or less stores, one additional licensed pharmacist is required.
At present, although the compliance of remote trial parties has been affirmed from the perspective of laws and regulations, and specific implementation plans have been put forward, there are certain differences in the standards for remote trials of licensed pharmacists that have been introduced in various provinces and cities, including chain pharmacies. The number of stores, the number of licensed pharmacists, the practice of remote pharmacists of licensed pharmacists, and the regulatory process are all different:
The Shaanxi’s program requires the Pharmacist Remote Service Center, who implement the policy of “seven unification” (unified brand label management, unified drug quality management, unified procurement management, unified distribution management, unified financial management, unified network information management, unified service quality management) to provide online trial and pharmacy services.
The Heilongjiang’s program requires that the drug retail chain headquarters and the chain stores implementing the remote network auditor should achieve “six unified” management in terms of trade name identification, quality system, personnel management, procurement and distribution, bill management, and computer systems.
Jilin province implements “five unifications” (unified management, unified procurement and distribution, unified quality standards, unified trade names, and unified identification). Only a drug retail chain that has achieved “five unified” can set up a remote trial system.
Hunan province encourages and supports drug retail chain enterprises that have achieved “four unifications” (unified quality management system, unified computer system, unified procurement and distribution, and unified financial management) to use the “Internet +” to conduct long-term trials of licensed pharmacists.
The number of licensed pharmacists in each province is also different. Some askes"5 chain stores with 1 licensed pharmacist for prescription drug pre-sales trials", and some askes"50 stores, should have at least 4 licensed pharmacists; more than 50 stores For each additional 20 stores, at least one licensed pharmacist must be added. Some of the 10 drug retail chains should have at least 3 licensed pharmacists, and each additional 15 stores will be accompanied by one licensed pharmacist.
Aspect 2: Grasp the opportunity to compete outside the hospital
The reason why there is emphasis on the important role of licensed pharmacists and “auditors” is to ensure the safety supervision of the sale and use of prescription drugs, especially in the comprehensive deepening of medical reform, medical insurance control fees and quantity procurement, etc. The huge potential of the large, out-of-hospital prescription drug market will be accompanied by more stringent compliance regulations.
Facing with the huge changes in the prescription drug market and the structural adjustment outside the hospital, it can not only ensure the convenience, safety and effectiveness of the people, but also minimize the loss of the enterprise. The remote trial is a practical exploration mode and solution.
In fact, in recent years, many regulations on strengthening the sales management of prescription drugs have been issued, requiring prescription drugs that retail pharmacies are allowed to sell must be “seeing prescriptions”, strictly registering prescription records, and having licensed pharmacists on duty and reviewing prescriptions. Retail pharmacies are found to be subject to regulatory penalties for selling prescription drugs without a prescription, such as suspending applications for new stores, or even revoking GSP certificates and business licenses.
Strong regulation will accelerate the increase in market concentration and the reshuffle of the terminal industry. Correspondingly, the out-of-hospital market is gaining more and more market attention. In the past, in order to prevent prescription outflows, some hospitals have implemented electronic prescriptions and strictly controlled the sales of drugs. This situation is changing now.
The industry generally believes that drugs that can be operated in the retail channel must be products that have been used in hospitals for many years and have established good knowledge in the minds of patients, especially “big varieties and commonly used drugs”. Consumers can judge symptoms and curative effects by themselves. Varieties, or common chronic disease products with long treatment cycles and easy recurrence, are products worthy of attention in the out-of-hospital market.
Under the general trend of medical insurance to control costs and reduce the proportion of medicines, the prescription outflow of hospitals has become a general trend, and the entire pharmaceutical retail industry will usher in an incremental market of 100 billion. According to industry insiders, the drugs with the same generic name in the prescription drug market can be replaced with each other. With the in-depth implementation of generic drug consistency evaluation, the competition of terminal varieties will have a huge impact on the market. "The sales profits of original drugs and generic drugs of different brands are different. Will the sales rights of manufacturers' drugs be in the hands of pharmacies in the future? It is worth waiting for!"
