AstraZeneca has signalled a transformation of the way that life-saving medicines are delivered to patients in the UK. The Times has learnt that Britain’s second-largest drugs company is seeking to copy its American rival Pfizer with a plan to distribute all its products through a single channel.

The change, which will lead to only one or two logistics companies handling delivery of all AstraZeneca products in the UK, follows a similar decision by Pfizer in September to supply its medicines exclusively through UniChem, the drug wholesaling arm of Alliance Boots.

The Times understands that at least three other major drug companies are understood to be considering similar steps, including Sanofi-Aventis of France, Eli Lilly of America and Novartis of Switzerland.

The changes, which will cut dozens of pharmaceutical wholesalers out of the supply chain, will affect the way AstraZeneca’s drugs are delivered to Britain’s 12,500 pharmacies, 327 hospitals and 1,386 dispensing doctors.

The Office of Fair Trading, which is currently examining Pfizer’s proposals, said it would look carefully at AstraZeneca’s proposals and take note of any complaints against them.

A spokeswoman for AstraZeneca said: “We have undertaken a strategic review of our supply chain and have decided that there are opportunities to improve existing arrangements. We have contacted a number of organisations about this and issued a tender for further discussions.”

AstraZeneca’s decision has triggered protests from independent pharmacists, rival wholesalers and MPs — 45 of whom have signed a motion in Parliament to block the Pfizer-UniChem deal, due to start next spring. They claim that it will undermine competition, create delays in the supply of vital medicines and could harm the NHS by eradicating the choice and competition required to keep drug prices down.

In an early day motion tabled in Parliament last Thursday, David Taylor, Labour MP for North-West Leicestershire, described the Pfizer-UniChem deal as “anti-competitive, anti-community pharmacy, anti- patient and anti-NHS”.

He said it presented an “unacceptable risk” to place responsibility for distributing all of one company’s essential medicines to every pharmacy in the UK with just one wholesaler.

Jim McGovern, Labour MP for Dundee West, said he was “very worried” about AstraZeneca’s decision to follow suit: “I am deeply concerned about the implications for both pharmacies and patients.”

AstraZeneca said the tender had been issued earlier this month but declined to say which companies had been contacted. They are thought to include Alliance Boots, Phoenix Healthcare and AAH, the UK’s three biggest pharmaceutical wholesalers.

The company said it was awaiting responses and expected to begin detailed discussions in the new year.

Now

Distribution complex as patients often need medicine quickly and many drugs require careful handling

In the future

• All chemists, dispensing doctors and hospitals will buy prescription drugs directly from company using single wholesaler for delivery

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