Angry pharmacists: nine out of ten pharmacies closed on Saturday, August 16, according to a union

Nine out of ten pharmacies will be closed on Saturday, August 16, the day of a mobilization against the reduction in commercial discounts on generic drugs decreed by the government, a measure denounced as dangerous for the future of the pharmacy network, anticipates the Union of Pharmacists' Unions (USPO) , Thursday, August 14.

"92% of French pharmacies plan to close this Saturday, August 16," states the professional union behind this initiative. "In a large number of territories, 100% of pharmacies will be closed," adds the USPO, based on a survey carried out between August 12 and 13 to which 4,500 community pharmacies responded, 58% of which are not members of the USPO.

Under the slogan "close for a day so as not to close forever" , this action follows the government's decision to reduce the ceiling on discounts on generic drugs, a measure enacted by a decree published on August 6 in the Official Journal . From September ¹ , discounts will be capped at a maximum of 30% of the price of the generic, compared to 40% currently. Further successive reductions are planned to reach 20% in 2027. The rebates granted by laboratories constitute an element of pharmacists' remuneration, representing a third of their margin.

Reported to the Health Insurance, they also allow the State to identify manufacturers who have granted discounts, in order to then impose price reductions on them and thus reduce health expenditure.

The USPO is calling for "the immediate suspension of this order, which seriously threatens the survival of thousands of local pharmacies," and is threatening possible "further unprecedented action" in September. Pharmacists are warning of a risk of worsening drug shortages by encouraging laboratories to turn to more profitable foreign markets for generic drugs.

"This is the guaranteed death of fragile pharmacies," while "large pharmacies will be able to resist initially by laying off staff," Patrick Raymond, president of the USPO of Bouches-du-Rhône, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "We are destroying the network in favor of a gift to the pharmaceutical industry," he denounces. "Generic manufacturers will sell drugs on markets that pay better; that's what will happen."

This closing day, placed between a public holiday and a Sunday, is not, however, unanimous: the Federation of Pharmaceutical Unions of France (FSPF), the largest union, did not join this call, believing that many pharmacies had already planned to close on this date anyway. On the other hand, the inter-union (USPO, FSPF, UNPF, Federgy, UDGPO), which is seeking to rally public opinion to its cause, plans to close pharmacies on September 18, then "every Saturday from September 27" .