ABSTRACT
A unique factor influencing the pharmaceutical industry in Britain is that it has in the main only one customer, the National Health Service (NHS). The pharmaceutical industry is policed by its own organization, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). There will be many and various effects of the NHS reforms on the pharmaceutical industry. Business managers focused on NHS managers are now becoming commonplace in those companies who are 'ahead of the game' in their response and reaction to the changing environment. Co-promotion and co-marketing deals are becoming frequent, allowing companies to carry extra weight and make more noise in the marketplace. Change is a stimulant or a narcotic. When changes in the weather become apparent the squirrel heads for its hole and hibernates for the winter; the rat meanwhile goes about its business and produces more rats with no regard at all for the weather.
