A decision from the Alberta College of Pharmacists has set a deadline for when pharmacists will allow patients to collect reward points on pharmacy purchases.
Officials said the ACP council voted on April 10 to amend their Code of Ethics and Standards to prohibit pharmacists from having patients receive loyalty points, such as Airmiles, or Club Sobey’s.
In the past, the College has said the decision was rooted in concerns over patient health, it’s believed in some cases, patients would wait until special points bonus days to fill their prescriptions, while others would fill more than they needed, in order to collect more points.
However, it’s action at least one company says it plans to fight.
Sobey’s Incorporated said they’re in the process of filing a legal challenge on behalf of Sobey’s and Safeway pharmacies.
“We don’t understand why the College would be introducing a ban,” John Graham with Safeway Operations said. “It’s inconsistent with what we know about the positive aspects of loyalty programs.”
The ACP prohibition will go into effect May 1.
