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Sunday, 22 November 2020

Pharmacists Syndicate boycotts Ibnsina Pharma alleging misuse of 3elagi app

DISPUTE WATCH-Ibnsina faces boycott, legal action from Pharmacists Syndicate: The Pharmacists Syndicate called on its members to boycott Ibnsina Pharma and will pursue legal action against EGX-listed company for allegedly using the 3elagi app to sell product directly to customers, the syndicate said in a statement on Wednesday. The pharmacists gave the company 48 hours to stop using the app and Ibnsina declined to do so, the statement claimed. The syndicate’s grounds for legal action remain unclear; we were unable to reach the syndicate for comment before dispatch time.

Ibnsina denied their use of the app breaks the law: In a statement carried by Souq Al Dawaa, the company said that it complies with all legal requirements and that the app doesn’t interfere with the sales process or favor particular pharmacies when connecting customers.

What’s going on here? The syndicate is the gatekeeper to the profession and has always held the line that a single pharmacy, owned by a single pharmacist, is the only legal means of dispensing meds outside a hospital setting. The organization is also likely concerned with curbing the power of wholesalers like Ibnsina — the leading private-sector distributor — amid concerns they could effectively cut out retail pharmacies by selling directly to consumers.

About the app: Ibnsina Pharma acquired a 75% stake in the app earlier this month. 3elagi is a platform that links customers to pharmacists around the country and enables them to get medicine delivered directly to their doors. The company’s website claims its algorithm selects pharmacists based on their prices and location. Other competitors in the field include Yodawy.

IN OTHER INDUSTRY NEWS- A new pharmacopeia listing approved meds and compounds is in preparation by the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), according to Youm7. The EDA is now the sole body in charge of registering new products, maintaining production standards, and setting customs rates on imported products after regulatory powers were transferred from the Health Ministry last year.

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