Competition at the pharmacy
Even with all the massive regulations and strict laws of the medical and pharmaceutical industries in Finland – the doctors, pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies, and the Finnish state are all in cahoots together – but Minister for Social Affairs and Health, Sinikka Mönkäre, wants to put an end to this – or at least sweep it under the rug and hope that the Finnish people will forget about it…
A survey commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health reveals that last summer only 16 of Finland’s more than 600 pharmacies did not have such a discount and sales agreement. About 20 large pharmacies had price agreements with more than ten drug companies at the same time. More than 40 out of 60 pharmaceutical companies said that they had discount agreements with pharmacies, while 14 had contracts involving generic substitution.
Present law forbids the retail sale of medicines at a discount. The wholesale discounts have been between 3% and 35%, with the pharmacy pocketing the difference. One pharmacist estimated that the profit generated by the wholesale discounts had risen as high as two percent of turnover.
So pharmaceutical companies are offering discounts, but the government is denying the people from taking advantage of these, only allowing the Apteekkis to cash in? That doesn’t seem very fair. And if doctors are deliberately prescribing expensive medicines, why can’t the patients simply say, “Hey Doc, is that the cheapest medicine available?” – I remember my mother asking that question to our pediatrician all the time as a kid.
