Pharmacy Association Calls for Elimination of Branch Pharmacy Regulation
The German Federal Union of Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA) has urged lawmakers to remove a planned provision allowing the easier establishment of branch pharmacies, arguing that such measures would not enhance pharmaceutical care in underserved regions. The debate comes ahead of the Bundestag's final deliberations on the Pharmacy Services Development Act (ApoVWG), a bill expected to shape the regulatory landscape for pharmacies across Germany.
Currently, there are nine branch pharmacies operating nationwide under existing regulations. The ABDA maintains that these outlets do not function as fully equipped pharmacies and therefore cannot adequately serve patients' needs. According to the association, branch pharmacies are limited in their capabilities, lacking essential services such as laboratory-based quality checks on raw materials, the preparation of complex compounded medications, and the provision of overnight emergency services.
In its statement, the ABDA contends that the presence of branch pharmacies could undermine established full-service pharmacies, particularly those already providing extensive delivery services and managing prescription collection points in rural and structurally weak areas. The association argues that patients in these regions require comprehensive pharmaceutical care rather than simplified medication dispensing locations.
Critics of the proposed regulation within the ABDA also point out potential risks to consumer protection and patient safety. Under the current system, a pharmacist is permitted to operate one primary pharmacy and up to three additional branches under a single operating license, with direct responsibility and liability for all locations. The proposed changes would allow for separate licenses for main and branch pharmacies, a shift the ABDA warns could dilute personal accountability and weaken legal safeguards that protect consumers from conflicts of interest or excessive concentration of pharmacy ownership.
The ABDA believes that relaxing the rules around branch pharmacies could threaten the principle of the single-ownership model, which aims to prevent both external ownership and the operation of multiple pharmacies by the same entity. The association asserts that such a move would not resolve existing challenges in pharmaceutical provision but could, instead, jeopardize the viability of independent local pharmacies and reduce the quality of care available to the public.
In addition to its call for the removal of the branch pharmacy provision from the ApoVWG, the ABDA has reiterated its demand for an increase in the fixed remuneration paid to pharmacies per dispensed prescription medication. The association argues that a higher dispensing fee is crucial to maintain the operational capacity of community pharmacies and ensure continued, high-quality service for patients nationwide.
The ongoing legislative process will determine whether the Bundestag adopts the ABDA's recommendations. The outcome is likely to have significant implications for the structure of pharmacy services and the accessibility of pharmaceutical care, especially in rural communities. Stakeholders across the health sector are closely monitoring developments as the debate over the future of pharmacy regulation continues.