Current and Future Trends in the Pharmacy Industry in Austria

Professional or occupational regulations are a §common part of many European work environments. §Regulations include for example: minimum competence §standards, entry barriers and minimum wages. One §area which has been extensively protected by §regulations, is the pharmacy industry in Europe. In §recent years, there has been an increasing number of §reports, where this high protection of pharmacies is §challenged and it is argued that the regulations are §anti-competitive and have no beneficial effects for §other parties than the pharmacy owners. In June §2006, the EC sent a letter to Austria, where they §challenged the number of current regulations §concerning pharmacies and the protection they have §in these countries. §This book looks at current regulations in Austria §and the most likely changes to happen within the §next 5 years. Market analysis of both pharmacies §and pharmaceutical wholesale in the Austrian market §are conducted, including comparison to other major §markets in Europe. Finally, possible outcomes for §the Austrian market are discussed. This book should §be highly interesting for anybody interested in §strategic management in the pharmacy industry.