Finland's Oriola says failed IT change caused 2017 distribution problems (updated)
22/01/2020 13:17
(Adds Oriola comments, background)
Jan 22 (Reuters) - Finnish drug wholesaler Oriola OKDBV.HE
said on Wednesday that its distribution problems in September
2017, which were a subject of inspection by drug safety agency
Fimea, were related to difficulties in its IT systems, the STT
news agency reported on Wednesday.
"We worked closely with Fimea during autumn 2017 and ensured
all medical deliveries with them", Oriola told Reuters in an
emailed statement. "We fixed all the issues during that time and
today we have an efficient and Fimea-approved way of working",
it said.
In the report obtained by STT, Fimea wrote that the company
was found to have had shortcomings in the autumn of 2017 which
threatened the distribution of pharmaceuticals in Finland.
Oriola, which sells pharmaceuticals to pharmacy stores and
hospitals in Finland, did not fulfill the legal requirements
required for a drug wholesaler, Fimea said in its inspection
report, according to STT.
The company said in October 2017 that its results for the
third quarter of the year were hampered by "unexpected
difficulties" in its new warehouse management system. In
September, only 72% of medicines were delivered to pharmacies
and hospitals, raising concerns that delivery issues could
threaten patient safety. Service levels "returned to normal" in
October, it said in its third-quarter 2017 results.
Fimea was not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting by Boleslaw Lasocki in Gdansk, additonal reporting
by Milla Nissi, Anne Kauranen and Tommy Lund, editing by Louise
Heavens)
((gdansk.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com; +48 58 772 0920;))