It’s not up to pharmacies – voluntary price cap is coming?
The government has set a goal of reducing the price of non-subsidized medicines, but according to the Minister of National Economy, it does not expect this from pharmacies. Márton Nagy confirmed at the Portfolio Lending 2025 conference: he does not see extra profits in the pharmacy sector, so it is expected that wholesalers and manufacturers may be targeted – hoping for voluntary price restrictions for the time being.
The move fits into the government strategy, which introduced similar price-limiting measures in several market segments in the spring of 2024 – such as food and drugstore chains, and telecommunications. The pharmaceutical market, however, is special: some prices have been strictly regulated for decades, while others belong to the free market segment, where pharmacies have had more room for maneuver until now.
However, pharmacies already operate on narrow margins: a banded margin system is in place for subsidized medicines, where the more expensive a product is, the less the pharmacy receives. For example, in the case of a consumer price above HUF 6,491, the available pharmacy margin is fixed at HUF 990 – regardless of how much higher the price of the medicine is. For this reason, the margin ratio is constantly decreasing, last year it was only 8.3 percent.
Pharmacies typically try to offset the lost profit by distributing non-subsidized products – such as headache relievers and vitamins. This is precisely the area where the government is now preparing to impose voluntary price restrictions, which, according to professional players, could cause further difficulties. The operating costs of pharmacies – especially energy costs and wage costs – are increasing, while they have less and less room to maneuver on the revenue side. In smaller settlements, this process may already result in pharmacy closures, which worsens the population’s access to medicines.
Related news
A special store closure is coming on Tuesday
As we have become accustomed to in recent years, Tuesday,…
Read more >Pharmaceutical matters differently – a strategic change of approach in cooperation between the Association of Innovative Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (AIPM) and Positive Adamsky PDKY
Pharma Affairs Reimagined – A Strategic Shift Led by the…
Read more >Walmart continues to bolster pharmacy, opens largest yet prescription processing facility
The retailer has also seen 10% volume growth via its…
Read more >Related news
Corporate leaders’ commitment to sustainability at record level
According to the latest data from the K&H Sustainability Index,…
Read more >FAO food price index rose slightly in June due to higher prices of meat, dairy products and vegetable oils
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)…
Read more >What can cause the price of a wine to increase tenfold?
There are fewer of them worldwide than the number of…
Read more >