Friday, January 30, 2026

German Pharmacies Push Back Against Years of Stagnant Remuneration and Warn of Risks to Patient Care

Germany’s pharmacies are going on the offensive. With a multi-month protest campaign, they are drawing attention to the long-standing stagnation of pharmacy remuneration. The campaign includes extensive political communication efforts within pharmacies, on public advertising spaces, and across social media platforms. In addition, pharmacy teams are actively engaging patients to explain the increasingly critical economic situation.

A key milestone of the protest movement will be an extraordinary general assembly convened by the ABDA – Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists on February 25 in Berlin. During this meeting, potential nationwide protest measures and actions will be discussed and decided. The escalation also coincides with the Federal Council’s plenary session on January 30, 2026, during which the Act on the Further Development of Pharmacy Care (ApoVWG) will be debated.

“We want to inform society about the critical situation facing pharmacies and, consequently, patient care,” said ABDA President Thomas Preis during an online press conference. The campaign, titled ‘We Don’t Work for Free’, is designed to convey its message through a combination of solid facts and emotional appeal.

The background is a dramatic economic development over recent years. According to the ABDA, more than one third of all pharmacies are currently in a precarious financial situation. At the same time, the fixed remuneration for prescription medicines has remained virtually unchanged since 2013. While personnel and operating costs have risen steadily, remuneration has seen only a minimal adjustment of 3.1 percent over more than a decade.

The consequences are clear: by the end of 2025, only 16,601 pharmacies remained nationwide. Since 2004, every fifth pharmacy has been forced to close. At the same time, total operating costs increased by around 65 percent, while personnel costs rose by nearly 80 percent.

Despite these challenges, the remaining pharmacies continue to ensure basic, local access to medicines for patients. However, many additional and innovative healthcare services – explicitly requested by patients—can only be delivered comprehensively if the pharmacy network does not continue to shrink.

Thomas Preis is particularly critical of the current legislative process. He notes that the economic strengthening promised in the coalition agreement is nowhere to be found. “This must change,” he said, calling on the Bundestag, Bundesrat, and the federal government to provide financial support to pharmacies and to secure sustainable, future-oriented healthcare structures.