Policy
Drug wholesalers are now demanding money from the state. The National Assembly shall act as a legislator. State-set prices for drugs have not been raised in nearly 20 years. In addition, the task of “crisis-related companies” should be better compensated.
For more than two-thirds of medicines delivered in Austria, drug wholesalers only earn amounts in the cent range.
Criticism of low trading margins
Sonia Jacoby, managing director of the company of the same name in Hallein-Kaltenhausen (Tennengau), criticizes the failure to increase the legally stipulated quantities per package since 2004: “Medicines must be stored in a cool place and delivered to all pharmacies in Austria several times a day. This is a situation Crisis that is difficult to compensate for with high inflation and salary requirements.”
Stockpiling as a buffer in times of shortage and crisis
Pharmaceutical wholesalers also want compensation for their role as “critical infrastructure”. Andreas Windischbauer, president of the association, says: “There is a large part of stocks here. To be more crisis-resistant, you need to increase stocks.
Salzburg Deputy Prime Minister and Health Officer Christian Stockl (ÖVP) was also convinced of these demands during a conversation with Jacoby in Halle. The state politician said he wants to work with the federal government to wholesale the drugs.