Home › Retail ›

Pharmacy Ownership Laws

One U.S. state, North Dakota, and nearly a dozen European countries have laws that require that pharmacies be owned by pharmacists. These laws ensure that pharmacy services are controlled by local health care providers and not by distant corporations.  

Research indicates that limiting drugstore ownership to independent pharmacists results in superior and more broadly available pharmacy services, as well as economic benefits for local communities.

Consumer Reports has repeatedly ranked independent pharmacies #1 overall since it began conducting drugstore "consumer satisfaction" surveys in 1998.  The magazine reports that independent drugstores fill orders faster, provide more information and personal attention, and offer more health services, such as disease management education, in-store screenings, compounding, and home delivery.  

Pharmacy ownership laws have been upheld by both the U.S. Supreme Court and the European Court of Justice.  (Follow the links below for more details.)

Rules

Pharmacy Ownership Laws — Europe

  • International
    • Pharmacy ownership laws are more prevalent in Europe.  Eleven of the 27 European Union member states (Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Slovenia, and Spain) do not allow non-pharmacists to hold a majority stake in pharmacies.   More

    Pharmacy Ownership Law — North Dakota

  • State
    • Enacted in 1963, North Dakota's Pharmacy Ownership Law stipulates that only pharmacies that are majority owned by a licensed pharmacist may be granted a permit to operate in the state.  Research on the law's impact shows that North Dakota has more pharmacies dispersed across rural areas than other states, has among the lowest prescription drug prices in the country, and reaps significant economic benefits from the fact that most of its pharmacies are locally owned. More

    Comments

    The New Rules Project exists to encourage policies that will increase the political and economic power of citizens and communities. Newrules.org will only approve comments that are relevant and, in our judgment, add a valuable contribution to the topic. We may edit comments to bring out key points. Abusive comments will not be tolerated.

    RE: Pharmacy Ownership Majority Holding by Registered Pharmacis

    Submitted by Olga Spathis RPh,BSPharm,MBA (not verified) on Tue, 10/19/2010 - 21:04.

    The demise of a profession has occurred over the last 18 years. This coercion, slander and misappropriation of the scope of pharmacy has gone on for too long. The profession must be taken back into the hands of the licensed pharmacist- and the ownership at 51% RPH, 49% other.

    The business model of pharmacy as represented by the chains and supermarkets has done just that- create a negative business model with a negative impact on the health and welfare of the american people.

    The breach of our constitutional rights has escalated a major portion of the country to maintaining the pharmacy in dismal third world conditions. This is unacceptable. The new model will come from the movement of takepharmacyback.com.

    your thoughts are welcome!
    email me at: ospathis@gmail.com

    take back pharmacy

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/27/2011 - 20:12.

    We as pharmacist need to take back pharmacy. So many unfair practices have arose that prohibit independent pharmacy from competing on a fair playing field. It's time to rewrite the script. Pharmacy, like law should be owned and operated by the profession not corporations.

    TakePharmacyBack

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/26/2012 - 10:31.

    Patients want their pharmacist to be an advocate for them, not for corporate owners. I have worked in nearly all segments of pharmacy practice (retail, government, inpatient, outpatient, management, consulting) and find that whenever profit is placed foremost and management is non-pharmacist (grocery store setting) professionalism becomes secondary to speed and cost. Non-pharmacist supervisors expect the impossible (prescriptions filled in ten minutes or less, with no errors ever, while giving immunizations, selling pseudoephedrine, compounding special items, answering the phone, and trying to communicate with elderly patients at a drive up window! If our patients only knew what we deal with every day! (I am writing a book on this subject.). North Dakota pharmacists have it right! Patients will be the big losers if the N.D. ownership law is repealed!

    Post new comment

    The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
    Syndicate content