Apotheker-Lobby & FDP Together against competition?

Pharmacists lobby and FDP: Together against competition?

(14.09.2010) The advice of pharmacies in the sale of drugs is still often insufficient. The result is the ARD magazine „Plus minus“ after a test in which at the beginning of the cold wave in several pharmacies drugs were purchased, each containing the painkiller acetaminophen. The business magazine criticized according to preliminary reports on today's program especially that pharmacies have always advisory services so far as an argument for their own monopoly position.

According to the pharmacies, intensive consultation is a major differentiator from mail-order pharmacies and is often used as a justification for a monopoly-like position in drug sales. At this point is the criticism of „Plus minus“ because, according to the results of their own investigation, the advice was consistently insufficient and sometimes even drugs containing dangerous amounts of acetaminophen were given without warning of possible risks. A basic consultation on the various substances, the test buyers have not received anyway.

As part of the program, the support of the pharmacy lobby by the FDP is also sharply criticized. Here, the liberals have, according to „Plus minus“ abandoned the principles of their policies, since they make themselves strong for the monopoly position of pharmacies and act in the interests of pharmacists lobby against the competition of mail order pharmacies. „Plus minus“ can allegedly prove that the Pharmacists Association (ABDA) has co-written the current coalition agreement and refers to phrases such as: "We will limit the excesses in mail order." , which was already used in a press release of the ABDA 2008. In addition, the pharmacy lobby had already demanded the pick-up ban contained in the coalition agreement in 2008. According to the Federal Cartel Office President, Andreas Mundt, the suppression of the competition, which has also been forced by the FDP, is holding against „Plus minus“ the drug prices in Germany artificially high, with the foreign actually makes it, that it is otherwise. (Fp)

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