Pharmaceutical Price Trends in 2025

Find out how pharmaceutical price regulation will change in 2025 and what this means for pharmacists and consumers.

Background to Price Changes

From September 1, 2025, the Pharmaceutical Tariff will no longer show indicative public prices for products whose prices are not regulated. This decision marks a significant turning point in the way pharmaceutical prices are displayed, as it changes a long-established practice. Historically, these prices were communicated by the pharmaceutical companies themselves, and served as a reference for pharmacists to establish their own sales rates.

These indicative prices enabled pharmacists to align themselves with a common standard, thus facilitating price transparency and comparison for consumers. However, several factors led to this revision, aimed at clarifying and simplifying the price-setting process. These include the evolution of the pharmaceutical market, the diversification of available products, and the need to adapt commercial practices to new economic realities.

In addition, this revision seeks to eliminate ambiguities and offer pharmacists greater freedom in setting their prices, while ensuring that consumers benefit from clear and accurate information on the costs of the products they purchase.

Products concerned by the new regulations

Medicines for human use, whether reimbursable or not, are not directly affected by this change. In fact, their maximum public price is strictly regulated and set by the Minister of the Economy, thus guaranteeing a certain stability and predictability for consumers.

Pharmacists, although obliged to respect this price ceiling, nevertheless have the option of offering these drugs at a lower price, enabling them to remain competitive while offering more affordable options to patients. The aim of this regulation is to protect consumers from excessive price fluctuations and to ensure fair access to essential medicines.

On the other hand, unregulated products such as dietary supplements and cosmetics will be directly affected by the new regulations. These products, which do not benefit from the same level of control as medicines, will see their pricing become more flexible.

Each pharmacist will now be free to set the selling price of these products, based on the cost of purchase, any discounts obtained from suppliers, and the margin he or she wishes to apply to ensure the profitability of his or her pharmacy.

This pricing freedom will enable pharmacists to adapt their prices in line with local market dynamics, consumer preferences and the commercial strategies they wish to implement.

However, with this increased autonomy comes the responsibility to maintain transparency with customers, clearly explaining the reasons for price variations and ensuring that consumers are well informed of the options available.

The reasons behind this decision

There are a number of reasons behind this decision, which comes against a backdrop of transformation in the pharmaceutical sector. Firstly, some pharmaceutical companies have stopped communicating indicative sales prices for their products, making these prices unreliable and creating uncertainty in the market.

This lack of standardized communication complicates the task of pharmacists seeking to establish competitive prices while remaining transparent to their customers. Furthermore, wholesalers and distributors, who play a crucial role in the supply chain, apply their own commercial margins.

These margins often vary according to various factors, such as logistics costs, specific commercial agreements, and market conditions, resulting in significant disparities in the final prices of pharmaceutical products. This variability can confuse consumers and make it difficult to compare prices between different pharmacies.

Lastly, some pharmacists, in the mistaken belief that the target price is fixed and unchanging, find themselves with reduced margins, which can affect the economic viability of their pharmacy. The aim of this reform is to avoid confusion by clarifying the rules of the game, and to give pharmacists greater flexibility.

By allowing them to set their own prices in line with their business strategy and local economic realities, this reform seeks to encourage greater autonomy and stimulate innovation in price management, while ensuring greater transparency for consumers.

Impact on pharmacists

This change represents a major challenge for pharmacists, who will now have to determine the prices of certain products themselves, a task that requires an in-depth understanding of purchasing costs, profit margins and local market dynamics. This new responsibility also implies ongoing analysis of consumer trends and competitors' pricing strategies to remain competitive.

This increased autonomy could, however, enable them to adjust their margins more strategically and optimize profitability in line with market fluctuations and consumer preferences. In addition, pharmacists will have the opportunity to personalize their offers, with targeted promotions or discounts to attract and retain customers.

The APB (Association Pharmaceutique Belge) is actively working with management software and wholesalers to make this transition as smooth as possible, providing resources and training to help pharmacists adapt to this new framework.

A protocol has been put in place to automate the calculation of sales prices in management software, including the integration of purchasing costs, any discounts, and desired margins. This automation aims to reduce human error, speed up the pricing process, and enable pharmacists to focus more on customer service and optimizing their commercial offer.

By working closely with software developers and suppliers, the APB ensures that the tools made available are both intuitive and effective, facilitating the adoption of these new practices by all professionals in the sector.

The role of SAAS software in adaptation

SAAS software will play a crucial role in this transition, offering an advanced technological solution that simplifies and optimizes the pricing process for pharmacists. Designed to be intuitive and easy to use, this software will automatically integrate the purchase price of products, including any discounts negotiated with suppliers.

This will enable pharmacists to determine a public price based on a pre-determined margin, while taking into account actual costs and sales strategies specific to each dispensary. In addition, these tools will offer additional functionalities, such as real-time market analysis, sales forecasts, and personalized recommendations for adjusting prices in line with market trends and consumer preferences.

All software houses, in collaboration with most wholesalers, are currently working on this protocol to ensure a smooth and efficient implementation. They are ensuring that systems are compatible with existing pharmacy infrastructures and can be integrated without disrupting day-to-day operations. The aim of this collaboration is to offer a smooth transition to this new pricing model, minimizing human error and maximizing pharmacies' operational efficiency.

Consequences for Consumers

For consumers, this reform could lead to price variations from one pharmacy to another for unregulated products, such as dietary supplements and cosmetics. These price differences could be influenced by various factors, including the geographical location of the pharmacy, the supply costs specific to each establishment, and the commercial strategies adopted by pharmacists.

Consequently, it will be crucial for consumers to take the time to compare prices between different pharmacies in order to obtain the best possible offers. This active price comparison could become an essential habit for budget-conscious consumers, enabling them to make substantial savings on their purchases of unregulated products.

What's more, this reform could also encourage healthier competition between pharmacies. By seeking to attract and retain customers, pharmacies could be led to offer more attractive prices and diversify their promotional offers.

This competitive dynamic could indirectly benefit customers, who could enjoy potentially more competitive prices and a greater variety of choice. Consumers could also see an improvement in customer service, as pharmacies seek to stand out for the quality of their welcome and advice. As such, this reform could not only influence prices, but also improve the overall consumer experience in the pharmaceutical sector.

Future prospects and recommendations

In the future, this reform could encourage greater transparency and understanding of the margins applied by pharmacists, which is essential to building a relationship of trust with consumers. Indeed, by making margins more visible, pharmacists will be able to demonstrate their commitment to fair and equitable business practices. This increased transparency could also encourage consumers to be more informed and aware of the factors influencing pharmaceutical prices, leading them to make more informed choices when making their purchases.

Pharmacists will need to adapt and be more strategic in their price management, which involves in-depth analysis of purchasing costs, market trends and consumer behavior. They will need to develop financial management and marketing skills to navigate effectively in this new competitive environment. This strategic adaptation could include developing targeted promotions, optimizing inventories, and adjusting prices in real time to respond to market fluctuations.

It is recommended that pharmacists familiarize themselves with the new software tools and follow the training courses offered to maximize the benefits of this new pricing autonomy. These tools, often based on advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analysis, can offer valuable insights into consumer trends and product performance.

Margin evolution for pharmacists

Pharmacists' margins could evolve significantly with this reform, as it introduces a new dynamic to price management within pharmacies. By setting their prices freely, pharmacists will be able to optimize their margins according to their purchasing costs, the discounts they obtain from suppliers, and the sales strategies they wish to adopt.

This pricing freedom will enable them to better adjust their prices to variations in supply costs, local economic conditions, and the specific preferences of their customers. For example, a pharmacist might choose to reduce margins on certain products to attract more customers, while raising prices slightly on other items to compensate for this reduction.

This flexibility could also enable better adaptation to market fluctuations, such as seasonal changes in demand for certain products, and to consumer behaviors, which may be influenced by emerging health trends or awareness campaigns. In addition, this ability to proactively adjust prices could help pharmacists remain competitive in the face of growing competition from large chains and online pharmacies, while continuing to offer personalized, quality service to their customers.

New challenges and opportunities for pharmacists

Pharmacists face a number of new challenges, including price management, which is becoming a more complex and demanding task. They will not only need to understand purchasing costs and profit margins, but also be able to navigate a constantly changing market environment. This involves ongoing analysis of consumer trends, customer behavior, and competitors' pricing strategies.

The need to adopt effective pricing strategies becomes paramount to remain competitive. Pharmacists will need to develop financial management and marketing skills to adjust their prices strategically, taking into account market fluctuations and consumer preferences.

However, this reform also offers significant opportunities to improve profitability. With the freedom to set their own prices, pharmacists can personalize their offers, run targeted promotions, and adjust their margins to optimize profits. This will enable them to offer more competitive services, attract a wider customer base, and retain existing customers.

It will be crucial to keep abreast of market trends, such as new technologies, pharmaceutical innovations, and changes in regulations, and adjust prices accordingly to maximize profits. By adopting a proactive approach and using advanced technological tools, pharmacists will not only be able to overcome these challenges, but also take advantage of opportunities to strengthen their market position.

New Price Management Protocols

The new price management protocols will include sophisticated automated tools that will make it considerably easier for pharmacists to calculate sales prices.

Designed to be both intuitive and powerful, these tools will automatically integrate the purchase price of products, taking into account any discounts negotiated with suppliers, and set a margin freely determined by the pharmacist according to his or her sales strategy and local market conditions.

Thanks to these advanced systems, pharmacists will be able to adjust their prices dynamically, in real time, in response to market fluctuations and changing consumer preferences. This automation aims not only to simplify the pricing process, but also to reduce human error, ensure greater accuracy in calculations, and offer greater flexibility.

It also enables pharmacists to be more responsive to market changes, giving them the means to personalize their offers and optimize their profitability, while ensuring total transparency vis-à-vis customers. By integrating these tools into their day-to-day management, pharmacists will be able to focus more on customer service and improving the shopping experience, while reinforcing their competitiveness in the marketplace.

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