Drugstores In Romania To Be Set Up And Operate As Commercial Companies As Of 2011

Health Minister Cseke Attila said this is the only way to put drugstores back into the hands of pharmacists, a move which, he added, will get pharmacists to be more focused on providing top-quality services in their drugstores. Cseke also said the purpose is to make sure drugstores will not turn into profit-oriented companies, adding a professional pharmacist will not administrate a drugstore solely for profit.

Under the new law, drugstores will no longer be set up in shopping centers, railway stations and airports, starting 2011. Also, community drugstores will be banned from selling drugs on the internet, in a move to provide top-quality pharmaceutical services. Furthermore, drugstores will be obliged to accept expired drugs from patients in order to destroy them under the law, said Cseke, adding the new law shall not affect the functioning of existing drugstores.

The new law also stipulates the setting up of a community drugstore in an urban area will be made according to the number of inhabitants and at a distance of at least 500 meters from another community drugstore.

Failure to comply with these provisions is seen as contravention and shall be punished according to the law.

Cseke on Thursday made public the new criteria for the setting up of drugstores starting 2011, considering that the applicability of the demographic criterion for the setting up community drugstores ceases at the end of 2010.

The new rules will be set in accordance with the order of the minister, adopted after consultations with the College of Pharmacists in Romania within 60 days since the adoption of the new law.