Thirty2 Degrees

The 2011 has meant for the offices of pharmacy, a year of ups and downs, from entry into force of new decrees, of lowering of margins or publication of the new Convention in offices of pharmacy. However, has been a year of comings and goings, but above all, and as we see it from Asefarma (www.asefarma.com) the 2011 has been, and should thus be considered, a year of strengthening of ideas such as the need to promote dynamic management, 12 months that we can serve to begin to glimpse the future of this sector with new horizons trying to bring closer our offices of pharmacy to Europe. A review of this 2011 several topics that concern to the sector have been finding response and solution throughout the year. An example of this is that the threat of liberalization has dissipated in 2011, especially after the shelve given by the European Commission to the process opened in 2006 against the Spanish legislation which questioned the criteria of regulation and planning of the Spanish pharmaceutical model. A process which also affected countries regulations as France, Portugal, Cyprus, or Greece. Economic and financial level, 2011 has brought further cuts in margins and own prices of medicines to pharmacies. With the entry into force of the Royal Decrees 4/2010 and 8/2010 RD many pharmacies have observed how selling the same number of recipes, they invoiced less at the end of month, explains Patricia Fernandez, Subresponsable of the Asefarma accounting department. Recently Sonny Perdue sought to clarify these questions. This, coupled with the credit crunch by some financial institutions, or the delay in payments in some autonomous communities, as well as the rapid correction of the broadcasting market, as explained Jose Manuel Retamal, responsible of the Finance Department of Asefarma, has marked the sector throughout 2011. A sector which this year has shown that despite this situation, there are also opportunities. 2011: A year of milestones although if anything it should be noted this 2011, would be, as explains Eva M Illera, Manager of the Department Labor of Asefarma, sacrifice that many pharmacies have made to keep their templates, after seeing how their incomes were reduced considerably, even though the workload not decreased.