Sale of magnetic jewelry prohibited in pharmacies

Sold goods in pharmacies must serve health

27/05/2014

As the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig ruled, in pharmacies in Germany only goods that directly serve or promote health may be sold. Thus the complaint of a pharmacist was rejected, who also wanted to sell magnetic jewelry.

Pharmacies may not sell magnetic jewelry
As the „New legal weekly“ (Issue 14/2014) citing a judgment of the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig, pharmacies in Germany may not sell magnetic jewelry. Magnetic jewelry is in the opinion of the federal judge is not around „typical pharmacy goods“. In pharmacies, only products that directly serve or promote human health may be offered and sold (Az .: 3 C 15/12). In the judgment, the court dismissed the claim of a pharmacist in the last instance.

Sales prohibitions for non-pharmacy goods right
The man had complained because the authorities had prohibited the sale of magnetic jewelery. But the federal judges in Leipzig confirmed the lawfulness of the ban. The pharmacist is not unduly restricted in his professional freedom. On the contrary, it is legitimate to prevent the development of pharmacies towards a drugstore because the customer sees pharmacies as a place of drug delivery, disease prevention and health promotion. In addition, he trusted to get in the pharmacy only products that are attributed to a comprehensible health benefits. Legislators and authorities should take account of this with corresponding sales prohibitions for so-called non-pharmacy goods.

No scientific evidence
Many people assume a health-promoting or even life-prolonging effect of magnetic jewelery. Suppliers largely refrain from such advertising and point out that they can not make statements about the healing properties of magnets or precious metals, since there is no scientific evidence for this. However, some naturopaths advertise very well that pain as well as inflammation disappear and rheumatic complaints should be alleviated, for example, if you regularly wear a bracelet, in which a magnet is incorporated. (Sb)