by Pharmacies throughout the country They will cease activities this Friday. It will be at noon and will be accompanied by a summons to Courts to present an amparo against Javier Milei’s DNU which, among its numerous articles, also deregulates pharmaceutical activity.
This was announced by the Argentine Pharmaceutical Confederation (COFA). The appeal for protection will be to stop the implementation of the decree of necessity and urgency that the President presented in a message broadcast on the national network. “It puts the health of Argentines in extreme vulnerability,” they stated about the consequence of the DNU on their activity.
The presentation, according to the president of the entity, Ricardo Pesenti, will be accompanied by a rally in front of the Palace of Courts, in downtown Buenos Aires, while the pharmacies will close their shutters for one hour, starting at noon.
“This is not a political measure. In fact, many pharmacists vote for this government.. However, we believe that there is ignorance of the serious consequences that this DNU brings,” said Pesenti.
The presentation of the protection measure will take place this Friday at 1 p.m. It will be done with a rally in front of the Palace of Courts, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of San Nicolás, along with the cessation of activities in pharmacies throughout the country, between 12 and 1 p.m.
“With the false argument of lowering the price of medicines, the DNU leads to the destruction of the pharmaceutical profession, undermining 20 articles of Law 17,565 on professional practice,” said the Pharmaceutical Confederation in a statement.
What the DNU says
DNU 70/2023, by modifying Law 17,565, eliminates the requirement that “medicines called free sale and pharmaceutical specialties, whatever their status of sale, may only be carried out throughout the territory of the Nation. in authorized pharmacies”.
It also leaves out the text that specified that “so-called over-the-counter medications must be dispensed personally over the counter by pharmacists or persons authorized to sell them,” COFA indicated.
In turn, the measure dictated by the Government opens the door to the sale of medicines in other businesses. This is determined by nullifying what was established by law, which stated that “the sale and delivery outside of these establishments is considered an illegal practice of pharmacy and, without prejudice to the sanctions established by law, those who carry it out may be reported for violation of the Penal Code”.
“It also leads to the end of pharmacies that are in the most remote neighborhoods, in towns, benefiting the chains that are concentrated in large urban centers,” the entity explained.
Furthermore, he warned that, with these measures, “medicines are not going to drop in price, because the price is set by laboratories, not pharmacies.” And he added: “What is going to happen is that the health of Argentines is put in extreme vulnerability by removing health controls on medications.”
“If there are deviations in quality, manufacturing problems, adulteration or falsification, there will be no way to detect it in a timely manner or remove these products from the market,” he highlighted.
“Pharmacists are essential, especially today, in a context of crisis in the health system, with increasing demand for care. We provide fundamental services such as blood pressure control, application of vaccines, injectables, cures, medication management “, concluded COFA.
With information from Télam
