Eric (1967) graduated in 1994 as a PharmD at Groningen University, The Netherlands.
In those years The Netherlands still had a military service. In the Royal Dutch army he served as a pharmacist at the Central Military Pharmacy in Heerenveen. In this pharmacy he was responsible for the production of medicine on a semi-industrial scale. After his study and this experience he would always keep a special interest in the unique role of the pharmacist in compounding pharmacy.
After his military service he continued his career as a public pharmacist in Zutphen, a small town in the eastern part of the Netherlands. Working with all the available ICT systems to make sure that the patients use of medication was as safe as it could get, it became clear that without the patients proper understanding of their own medication pharmacists were not making the difference. When patients are not motivated in using their medication in a proper way pharmacists are not even doing half their job became his philosophy.
In 2009 Eric made a career switch back to the compounding pharmacy. Where the public pharmacies in The Netherlands gradually stopped compounding, specialized compounding pharmacies were allowed within Dutch regulations to deliver their products to public pharmacies. The specialized compounding pharmacies produce under GMP conditions. Working there meant following training and courses to fully understand the implication of GMP for this semi industrial compounding pharmacy. Eric helped the new started compounding pharmacy ‘Pharmaline bv’ to rationalize the demand of it’s clients. With knowledge off the demands and the specific rules allowing to produce specific products, he helped building the product portfolio.
After an incredible two years another turn in his career came. Together with a colleague at the compounding pharmacy, he saw an opportunity to found their own company; ApotheekVrij.
With this new company, Eric and his compagnon are combining there knowledge of farmaceutical care, farmacovigilance, legislation, administration, human resource management, medication safety and plain common sense to fulfill various assignment for their clients.