Abstract: An efficient and accurate technique for facilitating reverse distribution of pharmaceutical items between customers and manufacturers includes receiving, from the customers, pharmaceutical items returnable for credit to the corresponding manufacturers, identifying similar items based on the national drug code and possibly other criteria to define line items, grouping items according to manufacturer identity, and sending the items to the appropriate manufacturers. The technique further includes receiving credit memoranda from the manufacturers specifying the amount of credit due for the returned items, generating actual amount payable for each item based on the line items and the credit memoranda, and generating disbursement statements for the customers.

Abstract: In a reverse distribution environment, a technique for generating an accurate refund estimate for a pharmaceutical item returnable for credit by a customer to a manufacturer includes receiving item information that includes an identity of the pharmaceutical item, retrieving a pricing rule record for the pharmaceutical item that specifies an amount of credit expected to be received for the item, generating a refund estimate for the customer using the expected amount, receiving a credit memorandum that specifies an actual amount of credit payable by the manufacturer for the pharmaceutical item, comparing the actual amount of credit to the refund estimate, and adjusting the pricing rule record if the actual amount of credit is not equal to the refund estimate, subject to certain conditions.