Future of the pharmacies: fight against online giants and high costs!

Future of the pharmacies: fight against online giants and high costs!

Ostalbkreis, Deutschland - In Germany, local pharmacies face increasing competition from online providers such as the shop pharmacy. This questions the future of these facilities, because more and more patients are opting for the convenience of digital purchasing. Dagmar Oltersdorf from the Schwäbische Post reports that pharmacy owners such as Andrea Benz from the Hofherrnapotheke and Ala Apotheke as well as Dorothee Salzer from the star pharmacy are faced with great challenges. In addition to the online competition, they also fight with increasing operating and wage costs.

Andrea Benz emphasizes the urgency of investments and growth to keep the pharmacies alive. It indicates that the winning spans for prescription drugs are legally defined, while online pharmacies often attract discounts that are not permitted by local pharmacies. This imbalance means that foreign mail order companies enjoy large market advantages and that German pharmacies are threatened in their existence.

advantages of local pharmacies

Nevertheless, local pharmacies have some advantages that they take off from their online competitors. Personal advice, individual recipes and emergency services are just a few of the advantages that customers can expect from the local pharmacy. Medicines can often be picked up on the same day, which is of great benefit to many people.

In addition, Dorothee Salzer offers special consultations for mothers and children and works closely with midwives. At a time when digitization are essential, both pharmacists emphasize the need to offer modern payment methods and online orders in order to remain competitive.

claims by the pharmacists

The talks about the future of local pharmacies also stir on fundamental questions of economic survival. In particular, the pharmacists demand an increase in the pharmacist fee, which has been stagnating for over ten years. The remuneration is currently 8.35 euros plus three percent of the purchase price per medicinal product submitted. Both pharmacists agree that the fixed fee should be raised to at least twelve euros per medicine in order to secure profitability. A ban on mail order trade with prescription medication and a uniform price connection for all market participants are also on the agenda.

overall, the current situation of the pharmacies in Germany shows a market in transition. According to Statista , the number of pharmacies in Germany has decreased continuously in recent years and is currently at 17.041. In 2024, for example, pharmacies implemented around 70.4 billion euros, whereby over 90 percent of sales result from the delivery of pharmaceuticals.

A total of more than 72,100 pharmaceutical-technical assistants and over 53,200 pharmacists in the pharmacies are available to ensure health care. Nevertheless, many pharmacies with a lack of personnel, bureaucracy and delivery bottlenecks have to struggle, which severely limits their operational possibilities. The question remains how the local pharmacy can survive in this changing market and whether the requirements of the pharmacists will ultimately be heard.