Category:
Drugstores
Region:
France
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SWEDISH PARLIAMENT OKS PLANS TO START DISMANTLING STATE PHARMACY MONOPOLY
Date: 9-May-2008
Lawmakers have approved plans to restructure Sweden's state-owned pharmacy chain Apoteket in a first step toward ending the monopoly on sales of over-the-counter drugs, a Parliament spokesman said Friday.
Thursday's decision will create a new company that will administer the sale of state-owned pharmacies to private actors if the sell-off of Apoteket is approved by lawmakers in a later vote.
Breaking Apoteket's monopoly on retail sales of drugs is part of the center-right government's plans to reduce state involvement in business activities.
Parliament spokesman Mikael Landen said Parliament approved the government's proposal to form a new parent company for Apoteket to facilitate the sale of pharmacies in a 147-139 vote.
The four center-right coalition parties voted in favor of the measure and the left-wing opposition parties voting against it. Landen said 63 legislators were absent during the vote.
The state monopoly owns and operates 994 pharmacy stores around the country.
In 2005 ruling, the European Union's Court of Justice said that Sweden's monopoly on drug sales was unjustified and hampers consumer choice.
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