According to PharmaTimes, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has told the parliamentary All-Party Pharmacy Group's inquiry into medicines shortages that pharmacy wholesaling and dispensing activities need to be legally separated. This would mean that pharmacies who serve NHS patients directly prioritise the UK patients over and above wholesaling activities which effectively divert medicine supplies.

The ABPI said that legally separating the two functions would ensure there is a clear audit trail of transactions between the pharmacy's wholesaling and pharmacy activities, permit suppliers to the pharmacy to know which entity they were supplying and therefore invoicing, and allow the regulator to see a clear audit trail of transactions, if and when required at inspection. The ABPI also expresses concern at the level of regulatory oversight and inspection of the trade in medicines.

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