A BUYING group launched by a group of Welsh pharmacists to find the best drug prices for pharmacies has been officially recognised as the cheapest in the UK.

Cambrian Alliance, which was launched by Gwent-based pharmacist Paul Mayberry and five other pharmacists in 2000, is top of the table for having the cheapest prices of both Generics and Parallel Imports according to the independent industry report by WaveData.

It looked in detail at nearly 500,000 prices from more than 40 of the UK's leading pharmaceutical wholesalers and buying groups over the last six months, awarding a point to a supplier for each drug they had the cheapest price for.

Cambrian Alliance, which has nearly 1,000 members, came out on top in both tables and ahead of their nearest competitors by more than double the number of points.

Pharmacist Mark Griffiths, chairman of Cambrian Alliance, said the report was great news for fellow pharmacists across the UK.

"As a buying group it is important that we are delivering the cheapest prices possible for our members. This report shows that we are doing just that by putting 5,000 products out to tender through nine of the biggest suppliers. In doing so we are able to ensure we get the best prices for our members and maximise the profits of their pharmacies so that they can grow and prosper."

Paul Mayberry, director, said: "Our primary focus from when we launched the company 14-years-ago has been about getting the best deals for pharmacists on the products they buy and helping them in-turn grow as a business. We adopted this approach because we are pharmacists ourselves and still are, which is why as a buying group representing the interests of our members and increasing their profits is our primary goal.

"As we continue welcoming more and more members we will also continue striving to remain top of the WaveData table."

"Not only do we offer the best prices, we also make it easy for our members to take advantage of them by offering access to our e-CASS software which allows members to automatically order the cheapest product via their PMR from more than 5,000 competitive lines."

Andrew Evans, owner of JDS Evans Pharmacy in Newport and a Cambrian Alliance member for more than ten years, said: "As a business we have enjoyed significant savings through our membership of the Cambrian Alliance and utilising products such as e-CASS. This has been vital to us growing and expanding as a group and increasing our margins and profits."