- Such an important law, which determines the supply of medicines to 40 million Poles, cannot be done at a parliamentary throw-in, without a Regulatory Impact Assessment and listening to the voices of the environment - this is what Marcin Piskorski, president of the Association of Pharmacy Employers PharmaNET, said at a press conference about the changes under way to tighten up Pharmacy for the Pharmacist. On Monday, the amendment was taken up by the Senate Health Committee.
Pharmacy for the Pharmacist. Pharmacy chain owners have concerns
Published July 24, 2023 17:46
This is an amendment to regulate the Polish pharmacy market. According to it, a pharmacy could only be taken over by a pharmacist running a sole proprietorship, a general or partnership company with pharmacists with a license to practice, as well as a university providing pharmacy education. The acquiring entity or related other entities will not be allowed to own or be a partner in more than four community pharmacies nationwide.
- The law that deals with export insurance becomes a de facto law on regulating the pharmacy market, as a result of a parliamentary throw-in that was not consulted and is devoid of a Regulatory Impact Assessment. The second issue concerns the actual effects of these changes. This serves only one entity - the largest wholesaler in Poland, which in 2016 had 500 pharmacies in its affiliate programs, and after the introduction of Pharmacy for the Pharmacist in 2017 - already in 2022 had 4 thousand pharmacies in these programs. There are 12 thousand pharmacies nationwide. In contrast, the largest pharmacy chain in Poland has about 1,000 pharmacies," said Jakub Binkowski, vice president of the Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers.
According to Marcin Piskorski, president of the Association of Pharmacy Employers, the bill harms the interests of small pharmacy chain owners.
- This law harms these people because it leads to their de facto expropriation. This is not the kind of expropriation in which something is already taken away from someone today. However, the right of these people to manage property, often built up over 20 years of life's achievements, is restricted. They cannot sell this property, and the value of something that cannot be sold is zero," says Marcin Piskorski.
- We do not believe that the pharmacy market should not be reformed. However, the pharmaceutical law is the bible for the pharmacy market and . Let's return to this conversation in a substantive way after the elections, with a guaranteed opportunity for all stakeholders to have their say," he adds.
According to Ewa Budzowska, the owner of a chain of pharmacies operating in the Mazovia province, the regulation could lead to her not being able to pass the business on to her children in the future. It will also not be possible to sell it, should the need arise for various reasons.
