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EU: Court rules against fixed prices for German prescription drugs

By  |  October 19, 2016

The European Court of Justice has issued a ruling that strikes against fixed prices for prescription drugs in Germany. The specific case dealt with mail-order prescriptions from the Netherlands used to treat Parkinson’s.

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    Wednesday’s ruling from the European Court of Justice found that a German law fixing prices of prescription drugs “constitutes an unjustified restriction of the free movement of goods” in the European Union.

    The case was brought before the court by a German non-profit group that focuses on improving the lives of Parkinson’s sufferers and their families. The “Deutsche Parkinson Vereinigung” had reached an agreement with a Dutch mail-order pharmacy called DocMorris, whereby the group’s members benefited from a bonus system when ordering prescription-only medications.

    A German competition watchdog said this constituted unfair price competition for Germany’s local pharmacies, which are protected by fixed-prices for pharmaceutical supply of prescription-only medical goods.

    Full Content: DW

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