More polite pharmacists

Most OTC products have been available outside pharmacies since January while the magnitude of the number of stores where such products could be sold theoretically is measured by hundreds of thousands. However, only a few of these have began to sell OTC products so far. GfK LHS Healthcare, a division of GfK Hungária has prepared a survey about consumer opinion regarding the effects of liberalisation in OTC trade. The most frequently heard opinion was that service in pharmacies has become much better and more polite than before. Most people still prefer to buy medicine in pharmacies as they regard these as a safe source and would only buy OTC products elsewhere in extreme emergencies. This segment of the market needs to be developed by conscious efforts.