Restrictions on pharmacies approved by the President

A bill introducing amendments to the pharmaceutical law act has been signed by President Andrzej Duda, which means the new legal provisions have almost reached the end of the legislative path and will soon be published in the Journal of Laws and officially become the new law. The changes introduced by the Polish government received much attention and sparked some controversy due to heavy restrictions that will be put on pharmacies and pharmacists.

The new provisions introduce constraints with regard to ownership of pharmacy outlets. New pharmacies will have to have pharmacists with a valid licence to practice the profession as their owners. This applies both to sole entrepreneurs and shareholders in a company that owns a pharmacy. What is more, for companies, running a pharmacy store has to be their sole business activity. One pharmacist will be allowed to own no more than four pharmacies.

This is not the end of restrictions. Location of pharmacies has also caught the interest of the officials. The government wants to make sure the number of pharmaceutical outlets is appropriate. No licence to open a pharmacy will be granted if its prospective location is closer than 500 metres from another pharmacy.  Also, one pharmacy is to be available to no less than 3 thousand people.

The solutions sparked much controversy. The intention of the lawmaker is stopping the expansion of big pharmacy chains and preventing few big players to dictate the prices on the market, while small businesses struggle. The new law is to give pharmacists running small outlets leverage over big corporations. Opponents of the solution criticise the lawmakers for putting restriction on the freedom of business activity and increasing state control over the economy. Proponents argue that a pharmacy is not just any business and that patients should receive special treatment and protection.

The update to the pharmaceutical law act will come into effect in one month’s time.