Pharmacies rage on non-refundable price-reduced drug

Pricing on Novartis’ Certican 4 items lowered by 30%

Company headquarters refund policy only accepts whole packaged product, not single tablets

The pricings of four doses of Novartis’ immunosuppressant Certican have been brought down by 30 percent as of Sept.

 

20, and pharmacies are outraged with the pharmaceutical company refusing to refund the single tablets.

 

Pharmacists are questioning the company’s refund policy as it would solely burden the pharmacies with the differences made due to pricing reduction.

 

A pharmacist at a pharmacy near by a general hospital in Seoul noted, “Certican is an expensive immunosuppressant.

 

Even though the price was lowered as of Sept.

 

20, the distributors are rejecting pharmacy’s request to refund the single tablets as Novartis would not accept them,” and “regarding the issue, pharmacists near the tertiary hospitals were in an uproar.

 

If the story is true, many would think the pharmaceutical company is not in the right mind.” The cost of a single pharmacy has to handle would not be detrimental, but the sum of the cost all affected pharmacies to pay would be significant.

 

Another pharmacist at a different pharmacy complained, “Calculating the price difference of Certican, our pharmacy would lose about 100,000 won.

 

The cost of one pharmacy may not be so excessive, but think of how much pharmacies around the country would have to lose out on.” The pharmacist raged, “The distributor claims the company headquarter would not take the drugs back.

 

They say they would ask the company again, but we have not heard anything from them, yet.

 

If both of them argue they are not responsible, ultimately the pharmacies would have to pay the cost.

 

Even the government is being blatantly blind about the problem.” The pharmacist urged the pharmacies should not pay the cost of pricing reduction, only because they have prepared drugs a requested by the nearby hospitals.

 

The same pharmacist argued, “How can pharmacies stock up expensive drugs from now on if this happens regularly?

 

The pharmacists should unite and boycott against the company.” “Apparently, the loss from pharmacies with enough deals is covered by the distributor employee’s pocket.

 

But that is not even an official refund policy by the distributor, so it cannot be a fundamental solution to the problem,” the pharmacist added.

 

Regarding the issue, Novartis official stated “Due to the headquarters’ refund policy, single tablets are not refundable regardless of the pricing reduction.”