GMB call on South Thanet MP to provide evidence that expired drugs cost pharmacies £10,000 a month

South Thanet MP is challenged to produce evidence of his claim that £10,000 a month is lost by pharmacies in expired drug costs as Labour candidate demands action to save threatened pharmacies.

Our local pharmacies are a vital community asset particularly as they are needed more than ever because of GP shortages and lack of public transport says GMB.

GMB call on Craig Mackinlay, Member of Parliament for South Thanet, to produce evidence to his claim in a letter to a constituent that expired drugs cost the average pharmacy £10,000 every month.

Karen Constantine, GMB regional officer and Labour councillor in Thanet said, “We are

calling on Craig Mackinlay to produce evidence of the claim he has made that ‘expired drugs cost the average pharmacy £10,000 every month.

“We need to see the evidence for this claim as the figure of £10,000 seems to be very high if replicated across the 11,700 community pharmacies across the country.
Many pharmacies will destroy an awful lot of returned medication from patients, which they have to legally do, but no pharmacy would willingly allow £10,000 worth of drugs to be wasted every month.

Our local pharmacies are a vital community asset particularly as they are needed more than ever because of GP shortages and lack of public transport. This is a blatant ploy by our Tory MP who is part of a Government who is determined to privatise the NHS services whether they be hospitals, social care or high street Pharmacies.

Our local MP should instead defend these essential services for the continuing use of South Thanet residents”
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Contact: Karen Constantine on 07984 532212, Michelle Gordon on 07866 369259
Notes to Editors

1 Karen Constantine is the Labour Party candidate for the Ramsgate ward for the 2017 Kent County Council elections.