Pharmacists are asking for margin increase from 12 to 25%

(Photo: Ivana Vuksa)

The group of drugstores is asking for a margin increase from 12 to 25% since drugs prices decrease of 30-50% resulted in margin falls so margin 12% is not sufficient to settle all drugstore expenses.

The Group of drugstores in fact is asking for a margin increase of 25%, but they say they will be satisfied with 20% as well.

They suggested double margins, i.e. margin of 25% for drugs not covered by the state and 20% for the ones covered by the state.

The Head of "Apoteke Pozarevac" Nebojsa Jorgovanovic, presented two models for margin set up.

According to the first one, as he explained, a variable margin of 12% would be introduced for the most expensive to 25% for the cheapest drugs which means margin would average 20%.

In the second model, the margin stays 12% but 55 eurocents per recipe would be charged.

The head of "Apoteke Beograd" Jasminka Bjeletic, outlined the state has unprofitable drugstores as well which it is obliged to open according to the law while private owners open drugstores only in the most transit parts of the city.

According to her, network set up would lead to defining necessary number of drugstores.

- Realistic number is one drugstore per 5000 people and this way, we are all problem for each other - Bjeletic outlined.

At the meeting, the group of drugstores presented the proposal to Milena Radojicic from the Ministry of health that the Draft of the law on drugs and medical devices should define retail prices which would be the same in all state-owned and private drugstores.