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What it is

Rules for opening and running pharmacies

BOE step 7 of 7 · Passed

It is a government bill. Introduced by the Government. It was introduced on 27 June 1996. Introduced by: Gobierno.

Official title: Government bill regulating the services of pharmacy offices (originating from Royal Decree-Law 11/1996, of June 17).

Follow this law

Source: Congreso de los Diputados, file 121/000007· updated 11 Nov

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

  1. Defines pharmacies as private health establishments of public interest and lists their basic services, such as dispensing medicines, keeping prescription records, preparing custom-made medicines and advising patients.
  2. Sets the basic criteria for opening pharmacies: the Autonomous Communities plan them by population modules and distances. The general rule is 2,800 inhabitants per pharmacy, with a maximum of 4,000, and a minimum distance of 250 meters between pharmacies, with exceptions for rural, tourist or mountain areas.
  3. The Autonomous Communities process and decide on opening authorizations, under principles of publicity and transparency, and also regulate relocations. Pharmacies can only be transferred to pharmacists.
  4. Requires the constant presence of a pharmacist while the pharmacy is open to the public and allows regulation of the assistant pharmacists needed. It also makes opening hours flexible: the hours set by the Autonomous Communities are minimums, and pharmacies can open longer if they notify in advance.

Who it affects

  • Pharmacy owners and assistant pharmacists: They must be present when dispensing medicines and bear professional responsibility.
  • Citizens and patients: They are guaranteed pharmacy care in their area and minimum opening hours.
  • Autonomous Communities: They plan, authorize and regulate pharmacies in their territory.
  • People who want to open a pharmacy: They must meet the population and distance rules and apply for authorization from their Autonomous Community.

Words worth knowing

Oficina de farmacia
The private health establishment where a pharmacist dispenses medicines to the public.
Fórmulas magistrales y preparados oficinales
Medicines custom-made in the pharmacy for a specific patient.
Módulo de población
Minimum number of inhabitants required to authorize a new pharmacy.
Farmacovigilancia
Monitoring the side effects of medicines once they are in use.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries

Where it stands

How far did it get?

It took 7 of 7 steps. It reached BOE, and today it is passed.

  1. Introduced27 June 1996Someone registers the text in the Congreso.
  2. Admitted27 June 1996The Bureau of the Congreso accepts it and, for a members’ bill, the plenary decides whether to consider it.
  3. Amendments4 July 1996Groups propose changes.
  4. Committee5 October 1996A committee goes through the text in detail.
  5. Plenary10 December 1996All 350 deputies vote.
  6. Senate20 February 1997The Senate can pass it, amend it or veto it.
  7. BOE10 April 1997It is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and comes into force.
See the 9 official steps on a timeline
Jun 1996Sept 1996Dec 1996Mar 199711. 27 June 1996: Presentación22. 27 June 1996: Calificación33. 2 July 1996: Comisión de Sanidad y Consumo Publicación desde 02/07/1996 hasta 04/07/199644. 4 July 1996: Comisión de Sanidad y Consumo Enmiendas desde 04/07/1996 hasta 05/10/199655. 5 October 1996: Comisión de Sanidad y Consumo Informe desde 05/10/1996 hasta 26/11/199666. 26 November 1996: Comisión de Sanidad y Consumo Dictamen desde 26/11/1996 hasta 10/12/199677. 10 December 1996: Pleno Aprobación desde 10/12/1996 hasta 20/02/199788. 20 February 1997: Senado desde 20/02/1997 hasta 10/04/199799. 10 April 1997: Concluido - (Aprobado con modificaciones) desde 10/04/1997 hasta 06/05/1997

Was there a plenary vote?

We have no plenary vote linked to this law in the Congreso’s data.

What happens next

What happens now?

It is law, or will be once published in the BOE. It comes into force on the date its own text sets.

Published in the BOE: Law 16/1997, of 25 April, regulating the Services of Pharmacy Offices.

Sources

Where does all this come from?

  • The data comes from the open files of the Congreso, the Senate and the BOE, unaltered.
  • Each deputy’s province is the one of their seat on the day of the vote.
  • We only say “passed” or “rejected” when the majority needed is certain; otherwise we say which side had more votes.

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