Gordon E. Appelbe

Gordon Edward Appelbe (27 January 1931 – 29 September 2013) was a British pharmaceutical lawyer and corporate director specialising in pharmaceutical law and ethics.

Education Appelbe enrolled at the University of London on a Bachelor of Science (BSc) course in economics, but switched to a law degree, receiving his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in 1970. He obtained a Master of Science (MSc) from the University of Bath in 1981 and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Wales in 1991. His PhD thesis The Control of Discipline in the Pharmaceutical Profession was written in 1991 and published as a book in 1992.

Career Appelbe qualified as a pharmacist in 1956. He joined the staff of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 1965, first as an inspector, and in 1971 as secretary to the Statutory Committee. With an interest in Europe and regarded by many as being outspoken about the Society's role on the continent, Appelbe was appointed secretary of the Society's European Committee a few months later. From 1972 to 1985, he lobbied in Brussels for mutual recognition of pharmaceutical qualifications between the United Kingdom and European Union. He was ultimately successful. and appointed head of the Law Department and Chief Inspector in 1978, both of which roles he held until 1991. In 1983, Appelbe lead the writing of a new code of conduct for the pharmaceutical profession in Britain, called a "complete rewrite" by The Chemist and Druggist. On the topic of counterfeit medicines, he warned pharmacists in a 1990 statement not to allow any commercial interests to influence their professional judgment.

In 1991, Appelbe was elected to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Council after three months' absence from the headship of the Society's Law Department. He was later appointed treasurer of the Society and authored several editions of Pharmacy Law and Ethics and Dale & Appelbe with Pharmaceutical Press between 1976 and 2013.

After leaving the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Appelbe worked as a pharmaceutical and legal consultant for independent clients. He was a fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (FCPP) and an honorary member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (HonMPS).

Personal life Appelbe was awarded a degree in operatic studies by the University of Manchester in 2005.