Problems in the UK's existing licensing regime for wholesale pharmaceutical companies need addressing immediately, it has been claimed.

According to the British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (BAPW), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) should look into the number of dealers' licenses issued in the UK.

The comments from the BAPW follow a consultation by the MHRA into ways in which the medical supply chain in the UK can be strengthened.

Meanwhile, the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM) raised concerns about the impact of resourcing levels on the MHRA's regulatory work.

The EAASM said: "We expect our medicines supply chain to be secure and effectively regulated, and yet the agency charged with regulating that supply chain does not have at its disposal instruments that it considers adequate."

In related news, a new regulator for the pharmacy sector is to be set up next year.

The General Pharmaceutical Council will replace the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.