Eli Lilly to rethink drugs distribution in UK
Eli Lilly has confirmed that it is considering a wide-ranging restructuring of its UK supply chain.
Eli Lilly has confirmed that it is considering a wide-ranging restructuring of its UK supply chain.
The company said that it was having a 'general rethink' about its supply and warehousing arrangements.
The announcement from Lilly follows earlier steps taken by Pfizer and AstraZeneca to review their UK supply chain arrangements. In September 2006, Pfizer selected UniChem, the wholesaling arm of Alliance Boots, to act as the sole UK distributor of its products.
AstraZeneca has acknowledged that it is considering a variety of options designed to simplify its UK supply network. These may include handling UK distribution of its products on its own, with the assistance of a handful of distributor companies.
The new arrangements among drugs companies will affect the way in which pharmaceuticals are supplied to hundreds of hospitals, more than 12,000 chemists and thousands of dispensing doctors across the UK.
Currently, the best-selling UK-produced drugs are Pfizer's Lipitor (anti-cholesterol), GSK's Seretide (asthma) and Wyeth's Zoton (indigestion), according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).