“Pharmacies have become businesses like any other”

Faute d’activité, la pharmacie d’Avéjan a baissé le rideau. Midi Libre – F. A.

La pharmacie d’Avéjan, à Alès, a été placée en liquidation judiciaire. Longtemps considérées comme imperméables aux crises économiques, de telles officines sont entrées dans le dur.

The Nîmes Commercial Court has rendered its decision: the Avejan pharmacy, in the hyper-centre of Alès, has been placed in receivership. Located in a usually busy area, with its two entrances on the streets of Avejan and Docteur-Serres, the pharmacy, like many businesses in the city centre, is said to have suffered from roadworks, a drop in the purchasing power of patients and, above all, a decrease in prescriptions since the number of general practitioners in the city has drastically decreased.

According to a source close to the case, the pharmacy's liabilities amount to nearly €1.40 million. The cessation of payments procedure, which was initiated at the end of June, was ratified at the beginning of July. For the five employees, the blow is harsh. The pharmacy is currently closed, but it should reopen to allow the owner to resell the business. The court has set the resumption of activity until October 10.

For the president of the Gard pharmacists' union, Éric José, himself the manager of a pharmacy in Saint-Gilles, the situation is worrying: “We sounded the alarm last spring (On May 30, a national day of action was organized by pharmacists, Editor's note).What is happening in Alès is, unfortunately, nothing extraordinary. In Nîmes, several pharmacies are also experiencing difficulties. Last year, nearly 300 establishments closed their doors throughout the territory."

A new territorial network to consider

For the pharmacist, the causes are multiple: "You should know that the price of the medicine is set by Health Insurance. Our sales price is frozen, like 80% of our turnover. The distribution of reimbursed medicines is our core business."

As with other economic sectors, Covid has disrupted activity: “After the pandemic period, there were significant disparities from one pharmacy to another. Some pharmacists were able to adapt to the new missions entrusted to them, chose to diversify their activities and invest, for example in vaccination. Others, due to lack of space to install a telemedicine booth, vaccination, or simply desire, or imminent retirement, have not jumped on the bandwagon.”

Another reason to explain pharmacy closures is inflation and loan interest rates, while pharmacists' margins are falling. “Some may have bought pharmacies based on pre-Covid turnover. Therefore, too expensive compared to current activity. There is no miracle solution, but we may need to rethink a new coherent territorial network and return to the essential: personal service around new missions. In fact, even if they are regulated, pharmacies are businesses like any other."

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