The British Association of European Pharmaceutical Distributors (BAEPD)

The British Association of European Pharmaceutical Distributors (BAEPD) is the professional organisation representing 18 companies, all of whom possess the appropriate Licences granted by the Department of Health ("DOH") through the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the competent UK national regulatory authority, and, where applicable, for centrally-authorised medicinal products, by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

These Licences authorise the specific Company to whom such approvals have been given, to source authorised prescription pharmaceuticals from any member state within the European Economic Area (EEA) and to distribute such products into the supply chain in the United Kingdom, normally either to the retail pharmacy, the dispensing general practitioner, hospitals/clinics or to other appropriately licensed wholesalers.

Member companies engaged within the Parallel Pharmaceutical Distribution Industry (PPDI) purchase licensed prescription medicines from whichever country has the lowest price or highest availability and distribute them in a country where the price is higher. A considerable saving therefore is achieved by the Health Service providers (and the Government) in UK, a saving which helps in the drug cost containment programme, while enabling added value to be realised within the sector.

The PPDI is primarily concerned with ensuring that the high standards of public health safety as laid down and enforced by the relevant authorities within the MHRA are maintained. To this end the BAEPD members comply with the Code of Operational Conduct ('Good Parallel Distribution Guidelines') operated by the pan-EU parallel distributor representative association, the European Association of Euro-Pharmaceutical Companies (EAEPC), of which BAEPD is a member, and to which all member companies must adhere.

Please feel free to take a look around our website. Included on the pages inside you will find a summary of the case for parallel imports, a history of our relationship with the drugs manufacturers, and a list of BAEPD members, as well as information on what BAEPD does for its members.