The Role Of The OTC Medicine Wholesaler

By Tanisha Berg


Health care, and specifically the market for medication, is a gigantic concern. Annual revenues of pharmaceutical suppliers measure billions and billions of dollars. Virtually every condition in modern medicine has its associated drugs. Then there are also the alternative therapies, such as naturopathy, or cosmetic treatments and dietary supplements. Pharmacies are the retailers in the market, but on their side they have to negotiate some common issues in their interactions with their OTC medicine wholesaler (OTC stands for over-the-counter).

Wholesalers are the enterprises in the economy who purchase their merchandise from the manufacturers and importers and sell it on to the retailers. They therefore have to compare pricing on a global basis. This may involve the exchange rate with an overseas currency, or the comparative properties of different available products in a single market niche, such as beauty ointments or herbal supplements.

Patent is another issue. Medicines that are still under patent can only be provided by the pharmaceutical company that holds it. In practice, this always involves a relatively high price, and may also cause constraints on the medication's availability. Pharma enterprises typically do not relax their patents, and sometimes make an attempt to prolong them.

Even so, once a patent does expire, more obscure manufacturers instantly attempt to secure market share by offering lower-priced generic versions to the market. That these generic alternatives cost less is a consistent fact. However, they might be manufactured in another country. Wholesalers therefore have to have the ability to obtain satisfactory purchasing agreements with overseas providers, so as to import or procure the lowest-priced version for their local market.

However, price is not the only consideration in sourcing medicine. Modern medications are scientifically composed chemical compounds. They are intended as interventions for identified symptoms and illnesses. Sometimes, they may also be associated with substantial side-effects. Their suppliers must have the ability to analyze a new medication so as to confirm its composition, efficacy and safety. This analysis can become less easy if the manufacturer is in another country or has never supplied anything to anyone in the wholesaler's home country before.

This is particularly important for those who sell OTC medicine. Customers who buy OTC products are not doing so due to the advice or instructions of a doctor. Some customers are able to ask for a specific medication, but others simply arrive at the pharmacy or even the supermarket and ask sales staff for their opinion on the symptoms that they describe. Supplying the right medication may sometimes be more a matter of a very effective non-specific tablet than appropriate medical knowledge or experience.

What exacerbates the absence of a doctor in the OTC process is the lack of education of some patients. They do not understand the chemical action of the medicine or why it is necessary for their condition. They cannot make sense of the package insert either. If they have no prescription, they therefore rely entirely on the dispensing person's opinion. The responsibility of making sure that medicine is appropriate and safe to use then devolves onto the wholesaler.

OTC medicine is used by people who are trying to eliminate the cost of visiting a doctor. The market offering in the OTC sector is determined largely by its wholesalers, via their purchasing and importation objectives. Patients require them to source effective medicine at the lowest cost.




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