Unable to obtain Actonel (etc.)

[Zoggite]

...and generic olanzapine, generic atomoxetine, generic levetiracetam, generic rasagiline, generic anastrozole,...
One thing I've got lots of and don't appear to need is...Tamiflu!!!!

[bobbin]

...and generic olanzapine, generic atomoxetine, generic levetiracetam, generic rasagiline, generic anastrozole...

Oh I agree! I was only thinking of Sanofi-Aventis RE the Aprovel and Plavix.

[Farnsfield]

Suggest surgery change script to alendronic acid, which is (arguably?) more effective anyway.

Would love to do this but local GPs are very clued up about this - patients on Actonel have all be on alendronic before and not tolerated it.

Frustratingly, AAH had plenty of stock when I sent my afternoon order - presumably hadn't been booked in when I ordered that morning.

Still waiting for Proctor and Gamble's commercial department to contact me!

[DavidS]

Still waiting for Proctor and Gamble's commercial department to contact me!

So if and when someone in P & G draws the short straw and decides to represent themselves as the commercial department to you, perhaps you could tell them that in all likelihood this patient will overorder now to make sure they have an extra month or two's supply in stock for when P & G commercial department have a logic failure next time, and that this will mean that the figures for next month are going to be useless as well...... (contd pg 94)

[bobbin]

Just before generic clopidogrel became available I was speaking to the Supply Chain Director at Sanofi about the problems i had been having. I had great delight in telling him that i had ordered 180 packs of the generic, in packs of 28 no less, so would soon have no use for Plavix. The tone in his voice dramatically changed after that!!

Looks like TEVA are already preparing their generic irbesartan.....

http://www.emea.europa.eu/pdfs/human...45601509en.pdf

[Farnsfield]

I couldn't get any Zoton Fastabs from Phoenix, Alliance or Mawdsleys. I phoned up the Customer 'Service' helpline at Wyeth and asked if there was a manufacturing problem as no wholesaler in NW England had any. They said no problem but everyone had used July quotas up!! So after much going around in circles i finally spoke to a manager. I asked him how a big multi national drug company was not able to ensure that stock was available at any wholesaler in NW England? His reply was that they were managing the supply effectively.......bollocks!!!

Anyway i finally got him to do a same day courier for 4 boxes as the patient was desperate for tablets....from Portsmouth to Lancashire!!

Hope it cost them a fortune!!!!

I had to play the Zoton Fastabs game last week - was told that AAH had stock due in the next day which should be booked on to their system by the afternoon. Pointed out that this was all very well but I'd been trying to get hold of some for three days. Was offered courier delivery for next day in order to get guaranteed supply which I accepted (after a lot of circular conversation along the lines of "we're supplying enough stock for UK market needs", "in that case why can't I get hold of any?" etc. Just as well as AAH couldn't fulfil my order the next day.

I have instigated a new get tough policy :-

1) phone customer services to arrange supply

2) speak to customer services manager and ask why 1) was necessary

3) make this conversation last as long as flesh, blood and spiralling workload can stand (preferably whilst channelling Anne Robinson, Deborah Meaden or both)

4) raise formal complaint.

I don't necessarily expect this to achieve anything but it certainly makes me feel better!

[Jeff]

Delegate the phone calls to whoever has the worst English and is most afraid of using the phone. This will take up more of the time of the person at the other end of the line, and create the most frustration for them.

[Grumpy Old Pharmacist]

Just reading these posts makes my BP go up! I am now in favour of writing to all local GPs and using PCT practice pharmacists to encourage as much generic using as possible. How do you explain to an 80 year old lady that we can't get a pack of 4 Actonel? Since when did we start living in the old USSR? This situation gets worse every week that passes, soon someone will become seriously ill from this problem, but as has been noted above, we are going round in circles!

[JonF]

BBC NEWS | Health | Chemist warning on drug shortages

Finally in the media

[DavidS]

From the article:

Jeremy Holmes, chief executive of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, said it was concerned about the stock problems.

"This problem has been exacerbated recently by parallel exporting, where a product is bought in the UK in order to sell onto another country at a higher price."

ffs