Updates

In November 2024, a new decree was issued expanding pharmacists’ right to deliver medicines or medical devices used to treat chronic conditions for up to three months (versus one month previously) beyond the date validity of the prescription. Building on previous legislations, this decree is an application of the 2023 “Rist” law, which uses task-shifting to improve access to care, notably in underserved medical areas (see HSPM country update “Direct access to selected allied health professionals” of 27 July 2023). This new expansion aims to prevent interruptions in the treatment of patients with chronic conditions in a national context where the lack of general practitioners in certain areas is a growing concern. Along with other measures, expanding the role of pharmacists in primary care is seen as one potential solution (see HSPM country update “Pharmacists allowed to deliver antibiotics without a physician’s prescription for specific conditions” of 21 October 2024). However, physicians’ unions criticized this measure, arguing that this will limit their ability to adapt prescriptions to changes in patients’ conditions over time.