Australia: Pharmacy Deregulation In Victoria?

In Australia, the state government of Victoria is consideringderegulation of the sale of pharmacy products by non-pharmacists in its review of the state's Pharmacy Act. While keen to bring competition to the sale of these products, the government has said it will ensure that prescription drugs will still only be available from qualified pharmacists.

In its review, the government will: examine whether chemist shops should continue to be owned and operated by pharmacists; investigate whether there is enough competition between pharmacists; and seeing where their premises are located.

The Safeway supermarket chain has said it would like to enter the pharmacy field if chemists are deregulated. If this occurred, a spokesman for the group said, lower prices could be possible.