German Minister backs e-pharmacy, e-Rxs

German Health Minister Ulla Schmidt is backing on-line pharmacies andelectronic prescribing. She told an economics forum of the German pharmacy association, the DAV, that Internet trading in prescription-only drugs should be made possible, and that e-commerce could not be dismissed, especially as it would enable health fund costs to be reduced.

Drug distribution via pharmacies is too expensive, she said, noting that Internet trading had long been allowed in the UK and the Netherlands. The controversy over Internet pharmacies was fuelled by the sale of drugs into Germany through the Dutch DocMorris.com pharmacy site (Marketletter January 22), with German pharmacists expressing concern over patient safety and their sales. Ms Schmidt also supports a system of e-scripts which, she said, would enable the industry, health funds and pharmacists to reduce costs and simplify procedures. Doctors would prescribe digitally, with data transmitted directly to the health funds.

The Federation of German Pharmacy Associations, the ABDA, plans to launch an Internet site in the summer, where patients will be able to obtain information and order medicines which would then be collected from their local pharmacies.