BGH judgment: Pharmaceutical wholesale under pressure - politics must act
BGH judgment: Pharmaceutical wholesale under pressure - politics must act
The Federal Court of Justice has published its reasons for the judgment on the granting of discount by pharmaceutical wholesale. The court comes to the conclusion that the lower price of the minimum price, which results from the pharmaceutical company's pharmaceutical, is generally inadmissible. The drug price regulation was used for the interpretation and the BGH emphasized that the pharmacy remuneration can be increased if necessary.
The judgment has a massive impact on the pharmacy industry, since many pharmacies are already underfunded. The verdict becomes even more acute by the chronic underfunding. Many pharmacies could get economic difficulties and be at risk of care in their area. The German Pharmacist Association calls on politics to act. The drug price regulation should be changed properly in order to expressly allow the discount currency. In addition, the pharmacy discounts should be reduced in favor of the health insurance companies and the pharmacy fee should be increased significantly and dynamically.
In Berlin, this topic will be particularly relevant because the city houses many pharmacies that could be affected by this decision. Berlin has a long story in terms of pharmacies and medicines. The first pharmacy was opened in Berlin in 1649. Since then, the pharmacy landscape has continued to develop.
The following table lists some current information about the pharmacies in Berlin:
| Year | Number of pharmacies | Sales of pharmacies (in millions of euros) |
| —— | ——————— | ———————————- |
| 2015 | 846 | 2.345 |
| 2016 | 857 | 2.410 |
| 2017 | 865 | 2.508 |
| 2018 | 870 | 2,580 |
| 2019 | 875 | 2.621 |
These figures illustrate how important the pharmacies are for the medical care of the population in Berlin. A sub -financing of the pharmacies by the judgment of the Federal Court of Justice could therefore have a significant impact on health care in the city.
It remains to be seen how politics will react to the judgment and whether measures are taken to support the pharmacies in Berlin and throughout Germany. The current Situation requires a quick action to ensure security of supply. It remains to be hoped that the decision -makers will find a solution to fix the underfunding of the pharmacies and to improve the economic situation of the pharmacists.