Pharma Blog

EU Law Recognizes Online Pharmacies for the First Time, Paving the Way to Prevent Discriminatory Practices in the Future

Redcare Pharmacy welcomes the adoption of the European Health Data Space (EHDS) regulation by the European Parliament. This marks a historic moment, as online pharmacies are now recognized as full and equal participants in the healthcare systems of the EU.

Under the new regulation, patients will be able to electronically access their personal health data across the EU. Healthcare professionals will have access to electronic patient records (ePRs), which include summaries, electronic prescriptions, medical imaging, and lab results (known as primary use). To create a unified health data space, the new rules mandate the participation of each EU member state in the MyHealth@EU infrastructure. This infrastructure connects national health data access services and facilitates cross-border sharing of patient health data, among other things.

This regulation now explicitly includes online pharmacies and recognizes that they can participate in the MyHealth@EU infrastructure in accordance with Article 12.6 of the EHDS. The regulation even states that various health policies should not create barriers to the free movement of electronic health services such as telemedicine, including online pharmacy services.

Olaf Heinrich, CEO of Redcare Pharmacy, comments: "This development is an important milestone as it enables us, as a pharmacy operating in seven EU member states, to accept e-prescriptions from other countries, thereby meeting the needs of our patients." He adds: "For me, this is a significant step toward giving patients the opportunity to receive their prescription medications digitally and access additional healthcare services online."

The EHDS will come into force in the fourth quarter of 2024, with immediate applicability starting from the fourth quarter of 2026. The exchange of primary data, such as electronic prescriptions, will be possible starting in the fourth quarter of 2028.