PHARMACY INSURANCE CASE STUDY

Medication Packing Facility Serving Pharmacies, Public Liability Placed After Five Declines

A facility that receives medications from pharmacies and packs them for patients is not a pharmacy and not a manufacturer, and business pack insurers struggled to place it. Five declined the liability. One quoted.

01

THE SITUATION

A medication packaging facility in Sydney, operating as a tenant and working with pharmacies to receive and pack patients' medications, needed public liability and a business insurance program quickly. The occupation sits between pharmacy and light manufacturing.

02

OUR APPROACH

  • Public liability went to the business pack market. In the first round two insurers declined on the revenue amount, three declined outright, and one quoted at approximately $4,100.
  • The property and business interruption program was taken to the specialist market separately, with several underwriting agencies declining as outside appetite or below their minimum values and several referring the risk for review on a full proposal.
  • The urgency was managed by running both tracks at once so the liability was placed while the property program continued.
03

THE CHALLENGES

An occupation that does not fit an insurer's list can be declined on the label alone. Medication packing is neither dispensing nor manufacturing, and each insurer read it differently. Presenting the process, what comes in, what is done to it and what goes out, was the only way to get a considered answer rather than an occupation decline.

04

THE OUTCOME

Public liability was placed with QBE at a premium of approximately $4,100 a year, with the property program pursued through the specialist market in parallel.

Final Solution: Public liability for a medication packing facility at around $4,100 a year after five declines, with the liability placed while the property placement continued.

This case records one historical outcome; current insurer appetite, premium, timing and terms depend on the complete risk at the time of application.

For the wider buying context, see our pharmacy insurance guide and the public liability insurance brokers page.

PHARMACY SERVICES QUESTIONS

What this placement answers for other pharmacy-adjacent businesses

What insurance does a medication packing business need?
Public and products liability for what is packed and supplied, property and business interruption for the facility and stock, and consideration of professional indemnity where the packing involves professional judgement. In this placement the liability was placed with a mainstream insurer while the property program went to specialist markets.
Why did insurers decline a medication packing facility?
Because the occupation does not fit the standard lists. Two insurers declined on the revenue amount and three on the business itself, and several property markets declined as outside appetite or below minimum values. One liability insurer quoted once the process was described. A decline is that insurer's appetite, not a verdict on the business.
Can liability be placed before the property cover is finalised?
Yes, and it was here. Running the liability and property placements in parallel meant the liability was placed while the property program was still with the specialist market.

PHARMACY INSURANCE

Put this placement in context

Case-study results are historical and are not a promise of current pricing, capacity or policy terms. This page is general information only and does not take account of your objectives, financial situation or needs.

A Business That Does Not Fit the Occupation List?

Describe the process, not the label. We put what actually happens in front of the insurers that will consider it, and run liability and property in parallel when time is short.

Last updated: 06/09/2026

Call Us Now +61 2 9000 1155