Gedanken zur Deregulierung des deutschen Apothekenwesens

Abstract

The German retail pharmacy trade is one of the most highly regulated within the German economy. For example, retail prices and the profit margins of pharmacies are fixed by law. Only pharmacists are allowed to own retail pharmacies, and each pharmacist may own only one retail pharmacy (i.e. there are no chain pharmacies in Germany). Retail pharmacies are only allowed to sell certain goods and services, whilst on the other hand only pharmacies are authorized to sell drugs (with some exceptions). This means that more than 90 per sent of their turnover is protected from the general retailing companies. There are many reasons for this extensive regulation: to guarantee the provision of drugs for the population, to reduce the abuse of medication and to protect the consumer against excessive drug prices, amongst others. However, these reasons need to be examined closely. The extent of regulation has grown over the last 750 years, and it is highly probable that these regulations no longer reflect the requirements of a modern health care system. Therefore, current regulations for retail pharmacies in Germany are being analysed and a proposal for far-reaching deregulation is to be presented. The implementation of these deregulation measures would lead to the more efficient provision of drugs.