Tamro imports non-registered medicines for all its customers’ needs. Tamro’s experts will even look for specific drugs needed to treat an individual patient. Lauri Itkonen, pharmacist at the Porvoon Uusi Apteekki pharmacy, praises the service for its ease of use and quick response times.
Pharmaceutical products that require a special permit are considered as an alternative when the patient must be treated with a drug for which there is no marketing authorisation in Finland. Other products either may not be suitable for the patient or may not have helped.
A medicine that requires a special permit may also be considered if an authorised product is currently not an option due to, for example, lack of availability. Sometimes a certain medication is needed by such a small number of people in Finland that it has not been introduced into the market at all.
Thus, special permits cover a wide range of medications, such as medications used to treat migraine or thyroid issues, or contraceptives.
Erityislupavalmisteisiin tarvitaan Lääkealan turvallisuus ja kehittämiskeskus Fimealta joko potilaskohtainen lupa, jota apteekki hakee asiakkaan puolesta, tai määräaikainen erityislupa koko valmisteelle.
Porvoon Uusi Apteekki applies for approximately 35–40 patient-specific permits per year on behalf of its customers.
− The pharmacy applies for either a patient-specific express permit or a standard permit, which – if granted – usually arrives within 3–4 weeks. A little less than half of the cases are urgent, which means that an express permit is required and the treatment will be started as soon as possible, Porvoon Uusi Apteeekki’s pharmacist Lauri Itkonen explains.
If there are any questions regarding products that require a special permit, the pharmacy will simply contact Tamro.
“The threshold for contacting Tamro is very low.”
Porvoon Uusi Apteekki has consulted Tamro's special permit product team regarding a wide range different of issues. Sometimes, the team helps to look for an alternative product, whereas other times, a different pharmaceutical form is needed. The questions often concern the stability or availability of a certain medication. If necessary, Tamro will contact the manufacturer for more information.
In Itkonen’s experience, Tamro’s team is always ready to offer help with the situation at hand.
– They are like our right hand in these matters. Tamro has a lot of information about the products that we at the pharmacy do not have or are not even supposed to have. Contacting the customer care team is easy, since they have such an active and solution-oriented attitude. Communicating via email is convenient, and the team usually responds quickly, Itkonen says.
– For example, I recently sent in a question regarding the size of certain capsules for a client. At the same time, I was able to get answers regarding the liquid version of the same medication and its availability. Since we had all this information, it was easy for the doctor to make a decision and write a new prescription, which we then used to apply for a patient-specific special permit.
– They are like our right hand in these matters. Tamro has a lot of information about the products that we at the pharmacy do not have or are not even supposed to have. Contacting the customer care team is easy, since they have such an active and solution-oriented attitude. Communicating via email is convenient, and the team usually responds quickly, Itkonen says.
– For example, I recently sent in a question regarding the size of certain capsules for a client. At the same time, I was able to get answers regarding the liquid version of the same medication and its availability. Since we had all this information, it was easy for the doctor to make a decision and write a new prescription, which we then used to apply for a patient-specific special permit.
Itkonen also praises the MyTamro service platform, which allows you to easily check product availability and date information.
Reliable supplier partners offer support
Tamro supplies non-registered medicines to pharmacies, hospital pharmacies, and dispensaries. Many of the products can already be found in stock, while some must be ordered separately. No need is too small to be met.
– It is important for us to be able to help pharmacies and hospital pharmacies with these special issues. We can find anything from one package of a specific medication for a single patient to replacement products for high-volume pharmaceuticals. The service is very scalable, explains Tamro’s expert pharmacist Laura Vilpo from the special permit product team.
Tamro offers customers a complete service: it identifies and finds alternative products, handles import and delivery, and distributes the products to the pharmacies along with the regular medication deliveries at no extra cost.
- When a pharmacy contacts us regarding a specific need, we immediately map out the situation and, if necessary, start looking for alternative products from our extensive international supplier network in Europe and the United States. We have longstanding, reliable partnerships with our suppliers, Vilpo says.
Answers from educated experts
According to a customer satisfaction survey conducted in early 2021, pharmacies and hospital pharmacies are very satisfied with Tamro's special permit product service. The customers were especially happy with the customer service and its quick response times. Over 70 per cent of respondents considered Tamro to be their primary contact in a situation where they would need to order medications that require a special permit.
The emails are answered by pharmacist experts.
− We will guide pharmacies through the process of procuring medications that require these special permits and instruct them according to their needs. Although the process may seem complicated, for us it is just another day at the office. We help our customers to secure alternative medication as soon as possible, Vilpo says.
Clear instructions
Porvoon Uusi Apteekki’s Lauri Itkonen courages pharmacies to compile clear instructions for the processes through which non-registered medicines can be obtained. The instructions should cover everything from applications to delivery. It is a good idea to keep track of the process using a checklist and include the contact information for the relevant pharmaceutical wholesalers in the instructions.
The MyTamro service offers the most comprehensive view of Tamro’s products that are subject to a special permit. However, Tamro also aims to add the product information to the Finnish Pharmacy Association’s Taksa database. Not all information can be found in Taksa yet. Itkonen also emphasises this point.
– It is good to keep in mind that if the product cannot be found in Taksa, this is not the final truth of the matter. You might want to check the different services offered by pharmaceutical wholesalers themselves or try Fimea’s special permit search, Itkonen advises.
How Tamro offers support for products subject to a special permit
- If you are looking for more detailed product information regarding a particular medicinal product, you can find the package insert and a summary of the product characteristics in their original language on the MyTamro product card. In MyTamro, you can also view a list of previously imported products subject to a special permit.
- If you need help identifying an alternative medicinal product for your needs, please contact Tamro’s special permit products customer service team at erityisluvalliset@tamro.com. It is enough if you only know which product you need to find an alternative for. We are happy to take a look at your options and weigh them up together!
Tip
Imported pharmaceutical products are delivered from Tamro to customers by order date and time. If the product you have requested is not available, it will be delivered to you as a backorder once it becomes available in Finland again. Even if the customer’s own order system does not accommodate backorders, the product can be submitted for backorder using MyTamro.