I have not been involved with Pharmacy Alliance but have been...

I have not been involved with Pharmacy Alliance but have been with other marketing and buying groups etc. The way I read it is that because margins are tightening all round there is now less scope for "volume discounts" at the wholesaler level where the the "middle man" also has to take a cut to run their administrative part of the operation profitably!

If Wholesalers or direct suppliers can match the deals you can get through various forms of alliances then they can largely become unnecessary.