Gov’t to introduce new system to allow sale of drugs in supermarkets

Delivering a speech at a meeting of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) on Sunday in İstanbul, Erdoğan stated that since his government came to power they have offered great opportunities to pharmacists. The government closed pharmacies in Social Security Authority (SSK) hospitals and fully subsidized SSK members’ prescriptions, the prime minister said, adding that thanks to this plan, in 2003 alone some TL 2.5 billion was allocated to pharmacies by the government and that pharmacists fared quite well during this era.

Erdoğan also spoke about a new system the government is working on which will pave the way for the sale of drugs in supermarkets and markets, stressing that their aim is to boost competition in the pharmacy sector. “We are working on a project to enable the sale of drugs in markets and supermarkets just like in the US. We will not allow monopolies.

We will not allow monopolies. We will further develop competitiveness in every field; otherwise, we cannot enjoy anticipated growth in the global arena,” he said.

A pharmacist is seen selling drugs to a customer. Pharmacists strongly oppose the government’s plan to introduce a system which will allow for the sale of pharmaceuticals in supermarkets, claiming that it will pave the way for casual consumption of drugs as access to drugs will become easier with the system and it will lead the layoff of some 80,000 workers employed in pharmacies. Clipping barcodes for drugs to no longer be necessary With a new system to be introduced by the Health Ministry, pharmaceuticals will be tracked from production to consumption which will make it no longer necessary to clip the barcodes of drugs and will help fight against counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency yesterday, General Director of Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacy at the Health Ministry Saim Kerman stated that under the drug tracking system (İTS), which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2010, instead of barcodes, each pharmaceutical will have a square code and an ID number that will allow the item to be tracked. Within three to four months of the implementation of the system, 10 percent of the drugs in the market are expected to have a square code, Kerman said. For a one-year period drugs with barcodes will also be available in the market; however, after this period, all products are planned to have the square codes. Work on the İTS is continuing, Kerman said. With the new system, it will no longer be necessary for pharmacists to clip the barcodes of the drugs and attach them to the prescription that the patient received from the doctor in order to prove that the drug was sold to a Social Security Institution (SGK) member in order to get paid, Kerman said. The İTS will also contribute to the fight against counterfeit pharmaceuticals, which cost the SGK millions of liras per month. İstanbul Today’s Zaman

In the US and European countries, many prescription pharmaceuticals, as well as vitamins, minerals and nutritional supplements, can be bought in supermarket pharmacy branches under pharmacist supervision.

In response to the prime minister’s remarks, TEB released a written statement yesterday stating that the projected sale of drugs in supermarkets will cause great danger to patients. “The US is the country where per capita drug expenses are the highest as a result of this system. It has nothing to do with saving money at all.” European countries, where only non-prescription drugs can be sold in markets, have started to consider not selling these drugs in supermarkets, TEB said, continuing, “We underline that this system will cause casual drug use to rise, as well as incrementally increasing costs and the damage to health.”

The new system, however, is still unclear even to pharmacists. The pharmacists Today’s Zaman spoke with expressed concerns over the system, fearing that some 80,000 workers employed in about 24,000 pharmacies might be laid off if the sale of drugs is allowed in supermarkets. Social Security Institution (SGK) officials, however, stressed that drugs will not be put on the shelves of the markets for sale like ordinary consumer goods, recalling the system in the US. The officials noted that sale of drugs in markets will be done in pharmacy booths by licensed pharmacists.

Pharmacists strongly oppose the system, claiming that it will pave the way for casual consumption of drugs as access to drugs will become easier with the system.

According to the information available, the system would be introduced gradually. First, 25 percent of the drug market, amounting to TL 4 billion, will be put on sale in supermarkets. Drugs like painkillers, antipyretics, vitamins and cough medicines will be available in pharmacies in markets.

New system might lead pharmacies to sign contracts with SGK

The system announced by the prime minister, allowing sale of drugs in supermarkets, is also forecast to push those pharmacies that have not yet sign a contract with the SGK to accelerate the process and make a deal with the SGK by Jan. 16, 2010, when the current contract between the two parties will expire. There is also a possibility for a postponement of the new system by the government if pharmacists agree to sign new contracts with the SGK.

In early December, a revised government price list for 2,500 medicines led to reduced profits for pharmacies, which pushed pharmacies to demonstrate under the mantle of TEB, which sparked tension between TEB and the SGK. TEB claimed the price cuts would cause pharmacists a loss of TL 800 million. Speaking about the pharmacists’ protest at the DEİK meeting, Erdoğan highlighted that the pharmacies closed their doors despite the fact that pharmaceutical companies assured them they would absorb the loss. As a result of the demonstration, the SGK decided to cancel its contract with TEB, opting instead to sign individual agreements with pharmacies.