Pharmacists in court bid over new drug price law

The pharmacists are challenging both the recommendation on medicine dispensing fees made by the Medicine Pricing Committee to the Minister of Health and the regulations in terms of which it was made, according to a report on the Finance24 site. The pharmacists called for the regulations to be declared unlawful, and for them to be suspended pending the outcome of their application. The challenge is based on the argument that the dispensing fees are ‘not appropriate’ and thus contravene the Medicines Act, as they will force pharmacies to dispense medicines at a loss, and that the regulations are an ‘unconstitutional infringement of the right to choose and practise a trade, occupation or profession’. Full report on Finance24 site New dispensing fees on Department of Health site