The Authority has sent a report to the Government and Parliament to denounce the risks of limits to competition in the bill under discussion in the Senate. Consumers, opposition and MNLF applaud. The bill that blocks the opening of parapharmacies compromises competition "with probable negative effects on the level of prices and the quality of the service offered". The opinion sent by the Antitrust to the Government and Parliament leaves no room for doubt, with which it is hoped that the latter will not approve the bill. The regulations under examination suspend the opening of new establishments pending the redefinition of the legislation on the sale of drugs and introduce numerical limits to parapharmacies in individual municipalities, based on demographic criteria with the result, underlined by the Antitrust, of placing "a structural restriction of competition in recently liberalized markets" and with "negative effects on the level of prices and the quality of service". The opinion of the Antitrust gathers consensus among consumer movements and in the ranks of the political opposition. "This is an unacceptable proposal, not only harmful to competition, but also harmful to consumers who, thanks to the opening of parapharmacies and corners within large-scale distribution, have been able to have a greater number of sales outlets, but above all have obtained considerable savings on over-the-counter medicines, equal to around 20 euros per year per family" declared Rita Battaglia, vice president of Federconsumatori. Antonio Lirosi, consumer and trade manager of the Pd, is on the same wavelength, according to whom «the Antitrust had to intervene to report the corporate and anti-competitive intent, to the detriment of the interests of millions of consumers. The National Movement for Free Pharmacists also applauds the Competition and Market Authority "It is quite clear - writes the President of MNLF Vincenzo Devito - how in the Italian Parliament two antithetical ways of doing politics are confronted: one aimed at protecting corporate interests, the other attentive to protecting the rights of consumers and the new generations". Now the ball passes to the Senate. [by Marco Malagutti for Pharmacist33
Andrea Mandelli, president of FOFI
Fofi replies, pharmacies are not shops. «It seems to us that the Guarantor has focused on a single point of a single bill for the reform of the Italian pharmaceutical service, i.e. the limitation on the opening of parapharmacies contained in the 2097 Decree. In reality, numerous proposals are being examined by the XII Commission, which also include measures that go in the direction desired by Agcom itself. In any case, however, this aspect has little to do with the organization plan of pharmacies in the strict sense, which are a garrison of the health service and not a commercial establishment, and even more so with the approval of law 69/2009 on pharmacy services". This is the reply from Andrea Mandelli, president of the Federation of Italian pharmacists' orders to the opinion of the Competition and Market Authority which censures any limitations on the opening of parapharmacies. According to Agcom, "the numerical limitation of the parapharmacies in each Municipality, based on demographic criteria, would be added to the restrictions deriving from the organic plan envisaged for pharmacies, already the subject of previous reports by the Authority, influencing the dynamics
