Drugstore suppliers scrambling to deliver

By Davene Jeffrey / Staff Reporter

Pharmaceutical suppliers were scrambling Monday to get drug orders to pharmacies around Nova Scotia.

"Most pharmacies rely on daily deliveries," said Byron Sarson, spokesman for the Nova Scotia Pharmacists Association.

A major pharmaceutical distributer in Moncton was not able to get its truck through the blockade Monday. The rig was loaded with 17 pallets of drugs and pharmaceutical supplies.

Medis Health and Pharmaceutical Services Inc. tried negotiating with the truckers through the RCMP, the justice minister and at least one MLA but had little luck, Medis account manager John Starling said.

"We managed to get it released from the compound."

The truck returned to Moncton, and Medis was trying to arrange alternative transport later Monday.

"These (orders) are time-sensitive," Mr. Starling said. "We receive orders up to 9 p.m."

Those orders are in turn shipped out overnight for noontime delivery, he said.

Late Monday afternoon, at least one drugstore chain Medis services was confident it would get a shipment today.

"We will get replenished tomorrow," Pharmasave spokesman Wayne Fiander said.

Medis wouldn't specify its plans but Mr. Starling said flying drugs into the province was an option.

Pharmacists began complaining to their professional association early Monday morning.

"We have a cancer patient who's waiting for a patch for pain . . . and we have another patient who is waiting for an injectable drug - and she needs it," Mr. Sarson said.

"It's not fair that a patient be put in this position by something that is not of their doing or of our doing."

Some other businesses with perishable goods were rerouting their trucks through the Saint John-to-Digby ferry.

"A truck for us from Ontario caught the Saint John ferry last night," said Dwayne Butler, manager of the Pete's Frootique store in Bedford.

"It delayed us six or seven hours.

"This afternoon, I placed another order with Ontario."

His immediate worry is that truckers might try to block rigs from getting to the ferry.

In Oxford, Ron Lavers, traffic manager at Gordon's Greenhouses, also had his fingers crossed that the ferry route would remain open.

"We have a shipment due Tuesday morning."

On the bright side, Mr. Lavers said: "It's a good thing it wasn't Valentine's week." http://www.herald.ns.ca/cgi-bin/home/loadmain?2000/02/22+201.raw

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 23, 2000