Pharmacy in Laufen closes: Beate Frimmel raises the alarm!

Pharmacy in Laufen closes: Beate Frimmel raises the alarm!

Laufen, Deutschland - Beate Frimmel is faced with a difficult decision. Her Salzach pharmacy in Laufen, which has been a permanent institution in the city since 1974, will close on June 30, 2025. Frimmel took over the 2013 business from her mother and has tirelessly fought the financial challenges since then due to continuing low remuneration, rising costs and dramatic change in the buying behavior of customers. Up to 30 % of customers now buy their medication online, which further exacerbates the situation for local pharmacies. The pharmacist is concerned about developments: "Politics must tackle the problems of the pharmacies to stop the die of pharmacy" Innsalzach24 .

growing challenges

The problems are varied. One of the main cones is digitization and the associated introduction of the e-recipe, which Frimmel sees as an essential reason for the upcoming closure. The increased purchase of medication via the Internet and the falling sales of inpatient pharmacies are worried about the industry. According to the Tagesschau , more than 3,000 pharmacies in Germany closed between 2013 and the end of 2023 and the number of pharmacies is expected to continue to decrease by 2030.

Schäufele is the continuous decrease in pharmacy figures a major problem that endangers the health care on site. There have been various declines in recent years, and until the end of 2023 there were only 17,571 pharmacies. Experts warn that over 500 pharmacies could be lost in 2024 alone.

Future view of the industry

The Dr. Kaske study predicts that every third district pharmacy could close by 2030. The study sees great potential for online pharmacies through the e-recipe, which is considered the central component of digitization in healthcare. However, many patients are also uninformed here: over 70 percent have not yet heard of the new digital recipe tax, although 50 percent of consumers indicate that they would redeem it online. According to Pharmacy adhoc , the loss of sales for inpatient pharmacies, due to the online trade, could be up to 4.3 billion euros.

Ms. Frimmel is now faced with a pure bureaucracy - after closure, she has to terminate contracts, sell medication and take many bureaucratic hurdles. Nevertheless, she doesn't want to give up completely; She plans to continue working as a temporary pharmacist or in health advice.

An end is in sight, but there is hope that the political framework in the future will change in favor of the pharmacies. The latest developments in relation to digital health solutions and e-recipes require a rethink whether and how the inpatient pharmacy can exist in this new environment. The challenges are great and it remains to be seen how the pharmacy landscape will develop.