The European Pharmaceutical Wholesale Industry: - phagro

The European Pharmaceutical Wholesale Industry
burg to 27,821 in France. Germany and Spain with 21,310 and 20,995 dispensing
units each reach 2 nd and 3 rd place.
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Figure 28: Number of Retail Pharmacies, 2004
23,380
20,760
20,495
16,808
12,467
1,732
1,172
FR GER ESP IT UK NL AUT
Source: GIRP data, IPF research
In all countries surveyed, retail pharmacies are the most important type of dispensing
units. Almost 91% of all medicines delivered to patients were sold in
pharmacies making them the main clients for pharmaceutical wholesalers. The
highest concentration of pharmacies is to be found in Spain and in France with
2,108 and 2,542 inhabitants per pharmacy. Italy is placed near the EU-22 average
of 3,383 inhabitants per pharmacy. Quite surprisingly, with 3,970 and 4,820 inhabitants
per pharmacy Germany’s and the UK’s network of pharmacies is not as
tight as the European average. In the Netherlands and Austria, the smallest countries
accounted for in the in-depth analysis, one pharmacy serves 9,407 and 6,952
inhabitants.
Retail pharmacies are the most important places for patients
to get their medicines. 88% of the medicines sold are delivered
by pharmaceutical wholesalers.
The reasons for these results are manifold but can be sought in different supplystructures
which have historically evolved, in diverging topographical structures of
the countries, in regional population-density and the importance of other dispensing
units besides retail pharmacies. Whereas there are no dispensing doctors in
most European countries, they play an important part in the Netherlands, Austria
and the UK, supplementing the distribution system in these countries. In France
on the other hand, only a few doctors are allowed to dispense medicines to the
patients. However, France has a comparatively large number of hospital pharmacies
providing medicines.
IPF Institute for Pharmaeconomic Research 34