Industry proposes amendments to Pharmaceutical Law

Pharmacy owners and drug producers have prepared a project, currently awaiting discussion by the Sejm, to amend the Pharmaceutical Law. The changes are intended to prevent monopolization of the pharmaceutical market. Andrzej Wróbel, the head of the commission responsible for the proposal, claims that the current law allows for the creation of chains of pharmacies, which may result in foreign concerns dominating the market in future. The law states only that a single owner of a pharmacy, or group of pharmacies, cannot control more than 10% of the market in each voivodship. "In this way, it is possible to develop a huge network around the country. Our aim is to make pharmacies distribute evenly," said Wróbel. Around 20,000 people have already signed the proposal. The pharmaceuticals sector is one of the most dynamic in the national economy, and is the only one which neither generates losses nor reduces employment. Currently, around 40,000 people work in the pharmaceuticals sector and this number is constantly increasing. (Puls Biznesu, p. 10, Rzeczpospolita, p. B2) K.Ż.