Pharmacists’ profit margins will be adjusted in line with price increases due to currency updates. According to a statement made by the Ministry of Health regarding the regulation published in the Official Gazette yesterday, it was stated that drug prices are updated annually based on the seasonal euro exchange rate changes and in accordance with the “Regulation on Pricing of Human Medicinal Products.” The statement noted that this update is based on a certain percentage of the average euro value of the previous year, and that the current value is determined within the framework of budget discipline as in other countries. The regulation was mentioned to cover not only human pharmaceutical products but also imported drugs.

The statement highlighted that due to the lack of annual updates in the current regulation, pharmacy profit margins remain fixed, causing many drugs to be sold at a lower profitability level by exceeding the upper limit. It was noted that pharmacists’ profit margins are applied as 28% for drugs in the first tier (up to 328 liras), 18% for drugs in the second tier (328-657 liras range), and 13% for drugs in the third tier (over 657 liras). The regulation published in the Official Gazette yesterday was stated to provide a significant advantage for pharmacists in the statement, which said, “Pharmacists’ profitability levels will be redefined in every currency update period from now on. Therefore, the basic drug price brackets affecting pharmacists’ profits will increase proportionally to the price updates in drugs. Pharmacists will benefit from drug price increases equally, preventing income losses.”