News, 28 August 2012
The FCA today published an extensive report on the provision of pharmaceutical products, in which several amendments to the regulation on the Finnish pharmacy system and provision of pharmaceutical products are proposed. The report e.g. recommends the removal of needs testing in connection with the establishment of pharmacies and of the restrictions on the number of pharmacies. The freedom of pharmacists is proposed to be increased so as that the company form of a pharmacy could be freely chosen in the future.
The pricing of pharmaceuticals is also proposed to be amended: the price conforming to the pharmacy mark-up scheme could be a maximum price in the future, and pharmacies could freely determine the price of a product below that tariff. Price competition would also be enhanced by including parallel imports in the reference price system, already when the patent of the original drug is effective. In self-medication lowering of prices could be promoted by allowing the sale of self-medication which is deemed safe also outside the pharmacies.
These amendments would aim at a major improvement in the effectiveness and productivity of the provision of pharmaceutical products and lowering of the costs caused to society from the distribution thereof. Medicine users would benefit from these reforms as cheaper prices and improved availability.
Read the report (in Finnish): From the provision of pharmaceutical products to pharmaceutical markets – Value chain and regulation
Further information:
Assistant Director Seppo Reimavuo
Senior Research Officer Kalle Määttä
Director General Timo Mattila
The report is also available as a printed version.