Few economic sectors in our country have an associationist movement of the dimension and efficiency as the pharmacists. Spanish pharmacists grouped regionally as pharmaceutical distribution co-ops at the beginning of the 20th century. The aim of these co-ops was for Spanish pharmacies as a sanitary establishment and first health chain link to have immediate access to over 40,000 health product references for their pharmacies. All this without distinction and in equal conditions for both city centre pharmacies or rural ones far from standard distribution routes or large or small pharmacy. This was the beginning of today’s Mediterranean distribution model, also called solidarity distribution model.

In Spain today 32 pharmacist capital co-ops owning over 18,000 pharmacies distribute 85% of pharmaceutical products required by the Spanish patient. Today pharmaceutical co-ops offer much more than services of: purchase logistics, storage and daily supplies (up to 6 daily deliveries), because they provide the Spanish pharmacy very valuable services for the professional and patient, such as computer packages, on-going training, financial aid, commercial support, etc.

This is all possible because pharmaceutical distribution co-ops unlike other wholesalers outside our profession is non-profit making, aiming only to give owners a services, which is their sole business purpose.

Our distribution model is the envy of many European countries where large multinationals have concentrated their power and have chains which in some cases are virtually monopolies, whose purpose is merely profit while service for citizens and professionals is secondary. Our model is questioned today without reason to present improvements to something which has demonstrated efficient functioning for over 80 years.

If co-ops were a great advance for pharmacists and society, Acofarma since 1947 has meant decisive support for them, being the joining point as it is a second degree co-op, i.e. co-op of co-ops.

Acofarma’s aim is still valid after over 60 years: improvement of pharmaceutical distribution systems in our country and defence of the pharmacist.

Times change and compliance with this aim has varied. Today Acofarma has a double activity, one it is the owner of Acofar, the pharmacists’ brand, with over 5,000 references, it is the first distribution brand in Spain. Long before the arrival of hypermarkets in Spain, Acofarma already had its own sanitary product range, firstly offering chemical products for magistral formulas and then parapharmacy products, and recently baby food.