In Italy, you can buy many medications, both over-the-counter and prescription, at the pharmacy or "farmacia".
Pharmacy or "Farmacia" is the fisical place where to buy medications, even if also exist para-farmacia that describe a place where buy medications without prescription.
In this article we summarize Law concerning the institution of a Pharmacy in Italy and its life.
1) Type of Pharmacies in Italy
The pharmaceutical service is provided mainly through local pharmacies, which can be:
- Urban
- Rural
- Subsidized
- Branch - i.e. Farmacia Succursale, open for a limited period of the year, in toursim place.
2) Pharmacy Organization in Italy
There are two type of Pharmacy
- Ordinary: with a territorial reference in each municipality, one Pharmacy any 3.300 inhabitants (pursuant to Law 1/2012).
- Extra Ordinary: Pharmacy established by a special rule "topographic criterion". According to this criterion when special needs of pharmaceutical assistance in relation to topographic and road conditions require it, can establish a pharmacy, in derogation from the criterion of the population 1/3.330 inhabitans.
3) Pharmacy Authorization
Pharmacy can be open and duly authorized to 1) Pharmacist in Individual form, 2) By a Company, even in the Limited Liability Form, such as LLC. (Srl or Spa in Italian Corporate Law).
In accordance with Law 124/2017 the pharmacy as a medical center must be managed by a pharmacist, while the company that owns the pharmacy may be held by Individuals even not pharmacists for the sole purpose of investment.
4) How to open a Pharmacy in Italy.
There are two different ways to open a private Pharmacy in Italy.
The first one is the acquisition of Pharmacy from a precedent Pharmacist by an ordinary sale contract.
The few restriction regarding such kind of acquisition regard the Director, and the unit must have at least three years of seniority from the competition to be sold.
Pharmacies that are opened by Public Competition can't be sell before three years from the 1° authorization.
5) Public Competition to open a Pharmacy in Italy
Public competition is required to the assignment of vacant unit or newly established pharmacies.
Vacant unit are the Pharmacies that have not a Director, owner, or that conducted temporally by a Pharmacist.
Newly Established: units required by the major, and not open yet.
One way to open a Pharmacy is the Public Competition.
There are two types of Competitions, one is the Ordinary, in which Pharmacist must meet strictly requirements and pass an attitude exam, and the Extraordinary Competitions, in which are calculated only the Pharmacist Academic Qualifications. The second type of Competition has made pursuant Law 1/2012 and is still ongoing.
The "extraordinary" competition is extraordinary if compared with the ordinary rules, set below, such as the "aptitude test".
Public Competition Requirements: Can partecipate to the Competition, Italians or European Union Pharmacists, already registered in the Italian professional register or equivalent (if applicable), that meet one this options: 1) non-holders of a pharmacy; 2) holders of subsidised rural pharmacy; 3) holders of supernumerary pharmacy; 4) owners of "parapharmacies".
Aptitude test. - The main difference between ordinary competition and extraordinary competition is the aptitude test. The aptitude test is question test concerning pharmacology; toxicology; and pharmaceutical technique.
At the end of the competition, both ordinary and extraordinary, a final ranking is drawn up. The ranking allows the attribution of a pharmacy unit to the participants on the basis of merit.
#Pharmacy rules and restriction.
Pharmacy Incompatibility in Italy: there are many case of incompatibilities, such as previous works and other, so that is not a free job but strictly regulated by law. Ask more if need.
Authorization loss: there are many case in which the pharmacist can lose its authorization, duly to bad behaviour or miss use of the pharmacy such as bankruptcy of the company or unauthorized closures for a long period.