The Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA) is again in hot water over another apparent shady deal. This time it involves alleged kickbacks paid by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to chemists.

Pfizer pay pharmacies $7 as administration fee for each patient they sign-up under the medical firm's support program which would lead to Pfizer directly providing patients information about nine Pfizer drugs, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The same industry association entered into a similar deal earlier with Blackmores for the chemists to suggest dietary supplements made by the latter when they sell prescription medicine. PGA backtracked and canceled the agreement when it created public furor.

However, Pfizer insisted the Blackmore and Pfizer deals are not the same.

"Well, that's totally different. I mean you have a patient walking in with a prescription for a particular medication and that's the only medication that the pharmacist will talk to the patient about. So it's not saying, 'well you're on this medication, would you like to try this other Pfizer medication?'" Pfizer Australia Managing Director John Latham told ABC AM.

However, the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers (APESM) which also represents pharmacists critcised the Pfizer deal.

"It's a slippery slope when health professionals such as pharmacists are induced to make recommendations on the basis of dollars rather than the interest of patients," APESM Chief Executive Chris Walton said.

"Instead of delivering better patient outcomes, this just aims to stuff more money into the pharmacy guild," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Mr Walton.

"What happens is the pharmacist has to come down, he has to step down from behind the bench, he has to talk to the patient about the medicine, about the medication and actually talk about the support program and ask the patient... if the patient wants to enroll," Mr Latham explained.

"I think a $7 fee for the time of the pharmacist to be able to do that is not unreasonable," he added.

Australian Medical Association President Steve Hambleton pointed out that the financial support given to third parties for patients to stay on Pfizer medication represents a conflict of interest.

The Pfizer drugs in the support program are Lipitor, Champix, Xalatan, Viagra, Lyrica, Pristiq, Ancept, Celebrex and Effexor. The campaign is seen as a move by Pfizer to protect its profits, particularly the sale of Lipitor which lowers cholesterol and is scheduled to have competition from cheaper-priced generic versions in early 2012 when the medicine's patent lapses.

The PGA has yet to issue a statement on the new controversy.

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