Thus, the HelpNet and Dona pharmacy chains posted growth rates of 30 percent on compensated medications, while some of the independent drug stores registered a significant drop on this segment. The measure adopted last fall by former Minister of Health Eugen Nicolaescu, to eliminate ceilings, has negatively affected independent drug stores.
“I have signals that the consumption of compensated medications fell 10-20 percent in many individual pharmacies. I have spoken with 10-20 colleagues who have individual drug stores and, if they used to have a monthly average of 800 compensated prescriptions, they had 400-450 prescriptions per month in December and January,” said the President of the College of Pharmacists, Dumitru Lupuliasa.
A clear market trend will be visible only after at least 3-6 months from the time the ceilings were lifting. Lupuliasa mentioned that doctors have proven to be responsible when offering prescriptions, even if the system for online prescription monitoring is not yet functional.
