Pharmacy Association CEO defends industry's ethics after Moose Jaw pharmacist found taking gifts

A Moose Jaw pharmacist who accepted prepaid Visa cards, retail gift cards and American Express certificates from a drug manufacturer is the exception in the industry, not the norm, according to the CEO of the Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan.

"It's not very common at all for an individual pharmacist, or a staff pharmacist, to take gifts personally like this," Dawn Martin told CBC Radio's The Morning Edition on Friday. 

"I think it's incredibly important to understand that pharmacists adhere to the highest ethical standards when they work with patients."

Moose Jaw pharmacist Niklas Voelk did not adhere to those standards, according to a disciplinary decision from the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals in December.

Voelk was fired from his job at the Moose Jaw Co-op in October 2015 after he told the Co-op general manager he had received more than $705,000 worth of cards from generic drug manufacturer Pharmascience, an offence which "diverted the benefits away from the Moose Jaw Co-op Pharmacy."

"Mr. Voelk was told by the representative for Pharmascience that such gifts were standard practice across Canada," the document reads.

Martin said Pharmascience's assertion is false, saying for the most part pharmacists aren't involved in business transactions between drug companies and pharmacies. 

"Typically, that's done through a head office or a business office ... it might be done regionally or nationally at that level," she said.

When manufacturers provide what Martin calls "professional allowance," they are a percentage of the purchased product given back to the pharmacy, not the pharmacist, to facilitate other services.

"This has become very embedded in the business model and very necessary for those pharmacies to be able to continue to provide service," Martin said.

The model is particularly helpful for pharmacies in smaller, more rural communities, she said.