EDITORIAL

Welcome to Edition 20 of i2P E-Magazine.

In this edition we open a debate on the proposed entry of the retailer Woolworths into Australian pharmacy.

While we discuss the permutations and combinations of such a move, there have been some critics who say that we are giving away too much information to the enemy.
I am sure that Woolworths have the intellectual resources to work their way through the best pathway for them, and it is necessary to expose as many pharmacy weaknesses as possible, so they can be worked on. For this, we make no apologies.

Pharmacy worries about entrants such as Woolworths, because of their powerful political lobby, huge financial resources, but above all, they are recognised as Australia's best manged retailer.
They have the ability to completely change the face of pharmacy provided they have complete freedom of movement.

This is not, and will not, be the case.
There are sensible laws that will inhibit an open slather in the sale of medicinals, and even though the envelope is being pushed in whatever direction it can be taken, there is a limit.

Woolworths have a history of clearly setting their goals and periodically releasing the strategies to achieve those goals. They work progressively for the long term, not for short-term gains.

For this reason, I do not expect Woolworths to immediately impact on Australian pharmacy.
The "pseudo-pharmacies" they can legally set up already exist, albeit they have not been clearly identified to consumers as pharmacies. Here, Woolworths are simply trying to blur the line so that pharmacies look the same in Woolworths as elsewhere, which makes their acceptance in supermarkets easier to progress.
It is up to pharmacy to differentiate its offering to the public and to ensure that it has the facility to compete aginst Woolworths at all important levels.

This is wake-up time for pharmacy!

In this edition you will also find material submitted by Con Berbatis, well known pharmacy researcher.
It consists of recommendations which have evolved from his 2002 national survey of pharmacies, and is recommended reading.
Val Johanson also appears with an article relating to complementary medicines and the "wellness" revolution.

Please do not hesitate to interact by writing to the editor or any of the contributors.

Neil Johnston
October 2003

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