Czech Minister wants to extend non-Rxing

Czech Health Minister David Rath has said he wants to extend the sales of non-prescription drugs and is examining whether this policy would only require an administrative change to bring it into operation. He also stated that he would like to enable direct supplies of drugs to be allotted to hospitals without the mediation of pharmacies. The proposed changes are now the subject of internal parliamentary committees debate.

Meanwhile, Dr Rath has refused any concessions as nearly 2,000 pharmacies across the nation closed in protest over a reduction in their margins from 32% to 29%. Pharmacists claim this threatens their existence. For his part, the Minister has described the protest as a "strike by millionaires," saying their proposal to raise margins to 50% on lower cost drugs was unacceptable.