Mail order pharmacies: Linnemann wants to take action

“We have to stop this”

Discounts for medicines: Linnemann wants to take action

Many mail-order pharmacies are using the increasing co-payments as an opportunity to offer new discounts. Insured people therefore sometimes do not have to make any additional payments for their medication – the money that flows to the health insurance companies is paid by the mail order company instead.

From a legal point of view, brick-and-mortar pharmacies are not allowed to take part in this discount battle for prescription medications. The German Medicines Act prohibits them from doing this. The feared consequence: loss of customers, who increasingly turn to mail order with its cheaper prices. According to the current pharmacy climate index, the overwhelming majority (93.6 percent) of pharmacists are convinced that the reform will strengthen foreign mail order business.

In addition to the discounts offered by mail order pharmacies, he criticized the increasing imports of medical cannabis flowers. This would increase to 300 tonnes this year – ten times more than three years ago. Linnemann noted that this no longer has anything to do with “medical” but rather with drug abuse.

The black-red cabinet has already introduced a draft law, which has been before the Bundestag since the end of last year. Accordingly, prescriptions of cannabis flowers should only be given after direct contact with a doctor. Medical cannabis should no longer be available via online delivery, but only in pharmacies.