Survey results from the pharmacy sector show: Political action is urgently needed!
15.09.2025 15:27
Approximately six months after the federal elections, pharmacists are urging the new federal government to implement its promises to strengthen pharmacies quickly, consistently, and sustainably. "The coalition agreement stipulates strengthening pharmacies and assigning them an even more important role in the healthcare system. We urgently need this reform, because pharmacies have been facing an uphill battle for years.".
“Our latest survey results from pharmacists show how difficult the situation is for pharmacies and how urgently political action is needed,” said Thomas Preis, President of the ABDA – Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists, at today’s press conference before the start of the German Pharmacists’ Congress in Düsseldorf (September 16-18, 2025), which Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) is also expected to attend. The number of pharmacies in Germany fell by 238 to 16,803 in the first half of 2025 alone – the lowest level in decades.
Preis said: „The pharmacy climate index shows that the mood in pharmacies was exceptionally poor last year. This was due to the previous federal government's plans to abolish pharmacies as we know them today. However, there is now a new federal government that has promised to strengthen pharmacies. Pharmacies are therefore looking to the upcoming pharmacy reform with a certain degree of hope and anticipation. Call it a sign of things to come or a silver lining – after the change of government, the profession has hope that the long-overdue economic strengthening will finally be implemented by the new government. Anything else would cause the mood to shift dramatically again.“ The ABDA president added: „Our figures on the mood in the pharmacy market also show that pharmacists are ready to take on more responsibility and expertise and to tackle the major challenges facing our healthcare system.“
The Pharmacy Climate Index (AKI) 2025 is the tenth edition of a representative survey of 500 pharmacy owners. The AKI 2025 shows a slight improvement in the overall mood in pharmacies, which, however, only represents a return to the very low pre-pandemic level of 2024. More than half of all pharmacies (55.2 percent) plan to hire new staff in the next two to three years. More than a quarter of all owners (26.8 percent) expect not to receive a single application for a pharmacist position in the next two to three years. More than half of all female owners (56.8 percent) expect at most one serious prospective buyer for their pharmacy. While fewer respondents anticipate a worse economic situation for their own pharmacy than last year, this still applies to more than four out of ten respondents (41.6 percent). The biggest annoyances in everyday pharmacy life include bureaucracy (93.0 percent), inadequate remuneration for services (83.8 percent) and supply shortages (66.0 percent).
The extent to which chronic underfunding is impacting pharmacies is evident in the questions regarding healthcare policy priorities for the next two to three years. Around nine out of ten respondents cite improved economic conditions (88.2 percent) as their absolute priority, followed by stable regulatory frameworks (85.4 percent) and reduced bureaucracy (82.2 percent). According to the 2025 Pharmacy Climate Index, the healthcare policy of the new federal government is hardly rated as "very good" (0.6 percent) or "good" (5.0 percent) in its first few months. The most urgent measures identified by pharmacy owners are an increase in fees to €9.50 (ranked 1st), the lifting of the ban on discounts (ranked 2nd), and a dynamic fee structure (ranked 3rd). Pharmacy teams are also open to offering new services, provided financing is secured and staffing is available: 83.2 percent support faster patient care in the event of supply shortages. Almost as many respondents (78.8 percent) could imagine dispensing smaller packages of prescription medication to patients in emergencies, provided that the patient is on regular medication and this information is known. Nearly a third (31.0 percent) of pharmacists would administer other vaccinations in addition to COVID-19 and flu vaccinations.
The German Pharmacists' Congress will take place in Düsseldorf from September 16 to 18, 2025. More than 300 delegates from 17 state chambers of pharmacists and 17 associations of pharmacists will discuss the profession's position in science, business, and politics at a general assembly – and pass resolutions on its future direction. Highlights include the opening address by ABDA President Thomas Preis, the greeting from Federal Minister of Health Nina Warken, the status report by ABDA Managing Director Dr. Sebastian Schmitz, and the thematic forum "Healthcare in Focus – Mastering Challenges Together," which will address prevention and early detection as well as support for people with chronic illnesses.
This year's German Pharmacists' Congress will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of the ABDA (Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists). Founded on July 12, 1950, in (West) Berlin, the ABDA has represented all pharmacists in Germany since 1990. As an association of 17 chambers and 17 professional associations, the ABDA aims to represent and promote the common interests of the chambers and associations of pharmacists in Germany. In 2002, the ABDA's headquarters moved from Eschborn to Berlin, and since 2019, the German Pharmacists' House has been located at its current site near the Reichstag building.