In a significant move to ensure healthcare equity, the Czech Senate has formally urged the government to address the unequal availability of medications across the country’s pharmacies. The upper chamber’s decision follows a petition from small pharmacy operators who claim that large pharmacy chains receive preferential treatment in medication distribution, creating monopolistic market conditions.
The Senate recommends that the Ministry of Health establish enforceable regulations requiring equal distribution of medications to all pharmacies. They propose that manufacturers and distributors should be legally obligated to ensure medication availability for every licensed pharmacy without discrimination or favoritism. Additionally, the upper chamber advocates for banning selective distribution of medications with limited availability, ensuring that during shortages, distribution follows transparent and equitable criteria.
The petition, signed by over 12,500 pharmacists and their clients, goes further by calling for a complete overhaul of the current pharmaceutical market regulation system. It argues that patients should be able to obtain medications covered by health insurance under identical conditions at all pharmacies. Petitioners also demand equal medication co-payments regardless of pharmacy type, location, or affiliation with healthcare facilities.
According to the Czech Chamber of Pharmacists, the country has more than 2,700 pharmacies, with some belonging to various-sized pharmacy chains. The largest chain, Dr. Max, commands over fifteen percent of the market with nearly 490 locations. Independent pharmacists report increasing difficulty competing with these chains, as evidenced by the decline in pharmacy numbers across all regions except Prague and Central Bohemia in the five years leading up to 2021.
While health ministry officials and the State Institute for Drug Control (SÚKL) argue that last year’s amendment to medication legislation has already improved distribution issues, the Senate has recommended additional transparency measures, including mandatory disclosure of contractual relationships between distributors and pharmacies, with oversight from SÚKL or the Office for the Protection of Competition.