10 Years Anniversary

Dear Reader,

In 2006, the Hungarian Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (HAPW) celebrates a double anniversary. It was exactly 10 years ago that 21 pharmaceutical wholesale companies set up this professional organization to protect their interests and carry out lobbying, and, at the same time, the Hungarian association became an associate member of the European Association of Pharmaceutical Full-line Wholesalers (GIRP).

The Presidential Board of the Association has decided that on the occasion of this double anniversary, it will publish a short document giving a comprehensive picture of the Hungarian pharmaceutical wholesale trade. This publication provides Hungarian and foreign participants in this sector, as well as interested lay persons, with useful information and, at the same time, gives you a clear understanding of this special area.

Dear Reader, you now have this publication in your hands. Reading these pages, you will gain an insight into the emergence of the pharmaceutical trade, and follow the history of this profession to the present time. You can acquaint yourself with the legal and organizational background to the modern Hungarian pharmaceutical wholesale trade of the 21st century and the major companies in it, which meet the highest European standards; and - last but not least – with the operation of the Hungarian Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers. As this publication illustrates, like other parts of the Hungarian economy, this sector returned to the market economy after the change in the political system in 1990. Its extremely rapid development over the past 15 years, largely attributable to the skilled and dedicated specialists in the pharmaceutical sector, has resulted in an unprecedented choice of products and an extremely high level of services in the pharmaceutical trade. It has now become evident that this sector, which is of great importance to the national economy as a whole, would be unable to operate without the well-organized wholesale trade centers which have been created across Hungary and rely on state-of-the art IT solutions and automatic systems.

This year, GIRP will be holding its annual general meeting combined with a professional conference in Budapest; this can be regarded as a token of recognition of the activities of Hungarian pharmaceutical wholesalers. We take pride in the fact that Hungary is the first of the new EU member states to have the honour of organizing this event.

Owing to the development of its infrastructure and the extensive professional knowledge and  experience gained over the past decades, in particular, during the past 10 years, the pharmaceutical wholesale trade is now an efficiently operating sector in Hungary. Those working in it, as well as the professional individuals responsible for ensuring its economic, legislative and financial background, have the duty to ensure that this continues in the future. Indeed, the health of the nation may depend on the success of our efforts.

On the occasion of this double anniversary, let me take this opportunity of presenting my compliments to all employees of member companies of the Hungarian Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers, and expressing my special thanks to the GIRP leaders for the support they have given to Hungary over the past decade in helping this country join the forefront of the European  Pharmaceutical wholesale trade.

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10-years-anniversary.pdf