According to the law, the opening of a new pharmacy is based on demographic criteria, which establish the number of pharmacies based on the number of inhabitants, except for pharmacies opened in big shopping centers.
The demographic criterion should have been eliminated this year but will be further maintained as the market liberalization would lead to an excessive number of pharmacies, followed by insolvency and bankruptcy, according to the representatives of the companies in the pharmaceutical sector.
According to the latest Health Ministry data, the number of pharmacies stood at 8,673 units in January, up by 57.6% compared with 2008 and 26% higher than in 2010.
For example, Bucharest has nearly 1,000 pharmacies and 2 million inhabitants, up by 50% compared with the 667 units necessary by demographic criteria.
According to Health Ministry data, the largest numbers of pharmacies are in Bucharest (around 1,000), counties Constanta (around 430) and Iasi (415), while the fewest are in Covasna (60), Caras-Severin (74) and Salaj (75).
The top five pharmacy chains are Catena, owned by Anca Vlad, with over 500 units, Sensiblu, part of A&D Pharma group, with over 400 units, Dona (275 units), owned by Eugen Banciu, Help Net (175 units), part of pharmaceutical distributor Farmexim, and Ropharma (125 units), owned by Mihai Miron.
Other major pharmaceutical networks are Ethica (around 250 in 10 counties), Farmacia Richter (120 units), owned by Hungarian group Gedeon Richter, Belladona (100 units), Farmaceutica Remedia (90 units), controlled by Valentin Norbert Taruș, and Reteta (80 units), owned by the Vonica family in Sibiu.