The Student Centre pharmacy may be taken over by new management in the coming months. Student Centre manager Dominic O’Keeffe explained to The University Observer that although plans were not definite, the manager had approached him about “relinquishing his licence” due to increased workload.

The pharmacy’s lease is currently held by Sean Foley, who also owns another pharmacy on Meath Street in the city centre. According to O’Keeffe, Foley has found his schedule becoming increasingly busy, and feels he may need to relieve himself of his responsibilities to the UCD outlet.

Himself a graduate of UCD, in recent years Foley has founded a professional skincare company, who market and manufacture a range of psoriasis skin care products. It’s understood that he is in the process of introducing his skincare line to the United States.

Despite the change in management at the outlet, O’Keeffe was keen to stress that there will be little visible change in the level of services provided at the pharmacy.

O’Keeffe added that the UCD pharmacy has been managed by various different independent operators since its opening in 2002 and has employed over a dozen different pharmacists – a fact he believes has gone relatively unnoticed by students.

Asked if discussions had been held with any major chain pharmacies or other alternative management teams about the future of the pharmacy, O’Keeffe said that no such talks had been held but expressed his opinion that the new management would likely be a lone operator, and that the outlet would be unlikely to become part of a bigger pharmacy chain.

O’Keeffe was unable to provide The University Observer with a date for the changeover, explaining that it would take some time to find replacement for the current managment, but was confident that any significant changes to the outlet’s services would be made over the summer months so as to minimise student inconvenience.

O’Keeffe emphasized the importance of the pharmacy as a service facility, saying that he was “keen to maintain the service for students and staff alike,” and insistent that current prices would not be affected as a result of the management transition.