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DE Group, one of the UK's leading independent pharmaceutical wholesalers, has gone into administration. Pharmacy Business has learnt that the group was put into administration on Monday (May 9), putting hundreds of jobs at risk and stoking fears of a "sudden shock" to pharmaceutical supply chain. A community pharmacy contractor who has done business with the wholesaler for over 20 years told Pharmacy Business: "I fear for the worst. I don't think there will be enough supply of medicines to cope up with a surge at such a short notice." Bharat Shah, founder and CEO of Sigma Pharmaceuticals, another leading short-line wholesaler, said the news will send shock-waves and have "a massive impact on the market" because DE Group enjoyed a "substantial coverage and market share" in the independent pharmacy sector. "It won't be easy for anyone to take on the extra volume as it could jeopardise their own business," he said, adding that Sigma was actively looking into expanding its own operations in the foreseeable future.

Sigma Pharmaceuticals, a leading pharmacy wholesaler and distributor in the UK, has once again demonstrated its commitment to supporting the local community by helping raise over £70,000 for local charitable causes. As per a statement from Watford-based industry leader, they raised £20,000 for Citizens Advice Watford, their selected charity of the year, during the recent Sigma annual conference held in Sun City, South Africa. Additionally, Sigma played a vital part in raising more than £52,000 for 'Team George' at the London Marathon Charity run held on Sunday, 21 April 2024 to support cancer charities. Throughout the year, Sigma will continue to partner with Citizens Advice Watford, a local charity that provides frontline service to the community, giving free, expert and impartial advice and support to 8,000 people a year, many of whom are facing crisis situations. Applauding the work done by this charity, Dr Bharat Shah CBE, Founder and Managing Director at Sigma, said: "It has been eye-opening to learn about the life-changing impact the charity has on the lives of so many people. "We have seen how their expert team works day in and day out to speak up for people who have nowhere else to turn, ensuring they receive the support and services they're entitled to."

AAH Pharmaceuticals (AAH) has announced the appointment of Brain Chambers as Chief Commercial Officer. "I'm proud to lead the commercial functions in AAH in my new role and broader area of responsibility." Said Brian. "I'm committed to delivering on great value for our customers and building and strengthening our supplier partnerships." Brain is associated with AAH Pharmaceuticals for more than 14 years. He joined the organisation as Business Development Manager in October 2008. His previous role in the organisation was on Sales and Marketing Director. He posted on LinkedIn: "This is a big move for me personally, but that's a side hustle. What is the main play here is AAH becoming a standalone independent wholesale business focussed on only the AAH customer and our core business and this is just one part of that.

European asset management group Aurelius has completed the acquisition of McKesson UK, marking the company's fifth completed transaction in a year. McKesson UK is the parent company of a number of healthcare businesses including LloydsPharmacy, John Bell & Croyden and AAH Pharmaceuticals. It comprises four divisions and holds a substantial market share across each vertical: retail, digital, homecare and wholesale. McKesson UK's success has been underpinned by its strong LloydsPharmacy brand, its customer base and its leading commercial footprint across wholesale pharmaceuticals. Over recent years, the company has benefited from the introduction of additional services delivered across its more than 1,300 pharmacies, a growing digital offering and the ability to support the increasing trend of primary care being delivered to patients in their home.

Leading pharmaceutical wholesaler Lexon UK has completed a £60 million refinancing deal with HSBC UK to help meet its growth targets in 2022 and beyond. The asset based lending facility will support Lexon's business strategy, including capital expenditure in areas such as new technology and business development. Founded in 1995, the Redditch-based supplier has distribution centres in Leeds, Durham and Dublin, supporting thousands of independent pharmacies. Nimesh Sodha, director at Lexon, said: "We are delighted to have completed this deal - it will help Lexon grow and continue to support independent pharmacies across the UK, as we have done for many years, in fresh and exciting ways.

Well Pharmacy's parent company, Bestway Group, announced on Wednesday (20 March) that it recorded a five per cent growth in revenues to £4.74 billion for the year ending June 2023, alongside a pre-tax profit of £420.9 million. During the year, the company also completed acquisition of Lexon UK Holdings, a leading pharmaceutical wholesaler serving over 3,000 retail pharmacy customers across the UK and Eire. Furthermore, the Group completed the construction of two cement plants in Pakistan, bringing its total cement manufacturing capacity to 15.3 million tonnes per annum. Sir Anwar Pervez OBE, founder and chairman of Bestway Group, expressed optimism about the new business year and said: "The Group has continued on its growth trajectory in 2023 and we are confident that our businesses will continue to gain share within their respective markets during 2024."

With higher than usual number of cases of scarlet fever, caused by invasive Group A streptococci (iGAS) infections being reported in children across the country, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England David Webb has assured pharmacies of sufficient supply of antibiotics. In a letter, shared by the PDA, Webb also urged the pharmacies to order antibiotic stocks sensibly. "Local pharmacy teams may be experiencing a temporary interruption of supply of some relevant antibiotics due to increased demand. On a national level, sufficient stock exists for the NHS," he said. He said NHS is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and has taken actions to help ensure medicines continue to be available. He explained that the supplies of antibiotics for the treatment of Group A Strep, particularly phenoxymethylpenicillin presentations, have seen a surge in demand, leading to potential constraints at certain wholesalers and pharmacies,

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) to host a Parliamentary drop-in event in July to brief MPs and Peers about the ongoing medicines supply chain issues that are negatively affecting pharmacies and their patients across the country. CPE's Pressures Survey earlier this year highlighted the extent of both the operational and financial impacts of medicines supply issues on pharmacy businesses, therefore it has continued to hear from both pharmacy owners and others about the problems. The event aims to ensure that MPs understand the problems and their impact on pharmacies. Peter Dowd MP is hosting the event, joined by representatives from Community Pharmacy England, the Nuffield Trust, patient groups and more. The event will also be another opportunity to talk to MPs from across the political spectrum about the very serious situation that community pharmacies still find themselves in and the need for further investment in the sector. Janet Morrison OBE, Chief executive of Community Pharmacy England said: "The results of our Pressures Survey earlier this year showed just how much supply issues are continuing to negatively impact pharmacy businesses and all those who work in them. The survey found that almost all pharmacy owners (97%) are facing significant increases in wholesaler and medicine supply issues, with 71% saying this was leading to delays in prescriptions being issued.