Alsace: Pharmacies to close on Saturday, August 16: the action is expected to be widely followed.

Anger has been rising among pharmacists since the publication in the Official Journal on August 4 of a decree setting new ceilings for commercial discounts on generic drugs. This measure, designed to save on healthcare costs, will automatically lead to a drop in margins and, ultimately , professionals fear, the closure of many pharmacies. A strike by on-call staff began on July ¹ in response to the government's announcements on this matter.

"People need to understand that this isn't about money, but about the quality of service and care," fumes Enzo Italiano, a pharmacist in Wolfisheim. "If they take away what we earn, we won't be able to have qualified staff. The small ones won't survive." Very angry, he created a non-union WhatsApp group last week to, he says, "unite the profession."

Of the 460 pharmacists thus gathered within this young "collective of Alsatian pharmacies," more than 80% planned this Thursday to answer the unions' call and close on Saturday, August 16. A strategic date which, along with the preceding August 15 public holiday and the following Sunday, will lead to a three-day closure in a row. A way, asserts Enzo Italiano, to "simulate the pharmaceutical deserts that await us."

However, a minimum childcare service will be provided.