One of the country’s largest pharmacy groups is facing the prospect of industrial action if a dispute over “unilateral” changes to staff contracts cannot be resolved.

Uniphar, the Irish-owned pharmaceutical wholesale and distribution company, has reached agreement to buy aspects of fellow Dublin-based firm Cahill May Roberts for €50m.

Twenty new ‘high-tech’ nursing jobs are to be created following a deal between healthcare services provider Uniphar and primary care network Point of Care, it was announced today.

ONE of the country’s biggest pharmacy chains, Sam McCauley Chemists, said that this is a year of belt-tightening and it has no plans for store openings.

A RECEIVER has been appointed to 14 pharmacies in the Munster area.

Drugs supplier Uniphar is laying off around 140 of its Dublin-based staff.

PROPERTY developer Bernard McNamara and public relations consultant James Morrissey, directors of the company Varleigh, are pursuing Ronan McNamee and the IAWS food group for breach of contract.

DRUG distributor UniPhar saw operating profits fall by 3% in 2007 to €18.8 million.

Healthcare distribution company UniPhar has today reported profits before tax of €21.6m for the year ended December 25, 2007.

LOCAL drug taskforces have warned pharmacists that their protest would prove counter-productive if they continued to put methadone patients at serious risk of returning to their heroin addiction.

THE National Implementation Body has received a formal request from the Irish Pharmaceutical Union to intervene in its increasingly acrimonious row with the Health Service Executive over payments.

PHARMACISTS earned figures ranging from €4,000 to €4 million last year under drug reimbursement schemes.

THE huge increase in the HSE’s drug bill — jumping from €332 million in 1997 to €1.6 billion last year — is staggering and unsustainable.

PHARMACIES and drugs companies have claimed a decision by the Health Service Executive to slash the mark-up paid for medicines will put many community pharmacists out of business.

UniPhar Group today announced the forthcoming merger of its two successful surgical business units, Whelehan Surgical and Surgicare.

DRUG distributor UniPhar recorded a 41% rise in profits last year to €15.6 million.

UniPhar Plc, a distributor of healthcare products to community and hospital pharmacies, has reported a 41% increase in profits before tax and to €15.6m for 2005.

Jim Morahan

THE number of merger transactions notified to the Competition Authority in 2004 rose to 81 from 47 the previous year, according to a study by law firm McCann FitzGerald.

Una Caulfield, co-founder and director of Banbha Teoranta, a Dublin-based distributor of health supplements, talks to David Clerkin.

The Competition Authority has given the go-ahead for UniPhar’s takeover of the Whelehan Group.

The Competition Authority announced today (15th July) that it will allow the proposed acquisition by UniPhar plc (the parent company of the UniPhar Group) of Ammado Limited, (the holding company for the Whelehan Group).

THE Walsh Pharmacy Group has been sold for close to €50 million to the Independent Pharmacy Ownership Scheme (IPOS) division of UniPhar.

The Independent Pharmacy Ownership Scheme (IPOS), a division of UniPhar plc, has acquired the Munster-based Walsh Pharmacy Group in a deal thought to be worth up to €55m.

PROFITS at healthcare distributor UniPhar jumped 21% to €9.3 million last year, the company said yesterday. Sales were up 17% to €408m as the company succeeded in growing its share of what it called a "very competitive market".

Healthcare distributor UniPhar has seen a 21% increase in pre-tax profits to €9.3m for the year ended December 25, 2003.

UniPhar today announced that it has reached an agreement to accquire the business and assets of fellow pharmaceuticals distributor the Whelehan Group.

Irish healthcare distributor Uniphar has reported after-tax profits up 17% and plans to extend its shares for discount scheme.

THE UniPhar pharmacy group are on the lookout for further acquisitions after their takeover of the Cork chemists chain Phelans.

THE Cork-based couple who built up a major pharmacy chain over 15 years yesterday expressed their satisfaction about their group remaining in Irish control.