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QuoteTowards Municipal Pharmacies? The Future of the Pharmacy in Question
Prevention, access to care, and maintaining regional coverage: these are the burning issues at the highest levels of government. During a recent meeting on February 10 with Grégory Émery, health advisor to the President of the Republic, the Federation of French Pharmaceutical Syndicates (FSPF) was able to gauge the urgency the Elysée is placing on the disappearance of pharmacies. At the heart of the discussions, a rather unexpected idea emerged: the creation of municipal pharmacies. Here is an analysis of this shock project within a highly tense economic context for the profession.
A pharmacy hemorrhage worrying the executive
The Elysée's concern over municipalities losing their last pharmacy is part of a brutal economic reality. The year 2025 was marked by the closure of 300 pharmacies, a vast majority of which found no buyer. This decline is accelerating: in fifteen years, more than 300 municipalities have seen their only pharmacy disappear, bringing the metropolitan network below the symbolic threshold of 20,000 points of sale.
Faced with inflating energy costs, rents, and wages, the profitability of many pharmacies is dangerously declining, paving the way for the creation of genuine pharmaceutical deserts.
The Elysée's "disruptive" idea vs. the profession's vision
Faced with this territorial emergency, the Elysée's health advisor put forward solutions that Philippe Besset, president of the FSPF, describes as disruptive, such as the establishment of municipal pharmacies. Although the union is not in favor of such a shift towards a public model, it acknowledges the vital need to provide concrete solutions to guarantee access to medicines throughout the country.
All eyes are now on the joint report by the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs (Igas) and the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF). This highly anticipated work must analyze the economic model of pharmacies and propose measures to defend the network, targeting rural areas and priority neighborhoods in particular.
The urgency of prevention and the "reaching out" approach
Beyond preserving the network, the executive insists on strengthening the pharmacist's clinical role, particularly in terms of prevention. Grégory Émery pointed out the urgency of improving flu vaccination coverage among patients with comorbidities.
This challenge is particularly significant in certain lagging areas, such as Seine-Saint-Denis or certain overseas territories. For both the Elysée and the FSPF, this improvement will inevitably require a proactive "reaching out" approach driven by pharmacists. The shared goal is to make 2026 a particularly useful year to advance these issues ahead of the 2027 electoral deadlines.
Mdose Analysis: Efficiency at the service of your new missions
At Mdose, we know that the equation imposed on pharmacy owners is complex: how to embrace these new clinical missions (vaccination, screening, pharmaceutical interviews, outreach approaches) while economic pressure intensifies and time is sorely lacking at the counter?
The answer lies in a drastic optimization of your workflows. Back-office automation and the reliability of Medication Dispensing (PDA) are no longer just logistical tools: they are true strategic levers. By delegating time-consuming and repetitive preparation tasks to secure solutions, you free up precious human time.
This freed-up time allows you to refocus on your true core business: the patient. It is by streamlining your organization that you will be able to meet the challenge of prevention and sustain your pharmacy's profitability in the face of industry changes.
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