The benefit of the over-the-counter medicine reform for consumers may not be realised

In its proposal, the government suggests that, in the future, it should also be possible to sell over-the-counter vitamins and creams outside pharmacies, such as in shops. Similar products are primarily already available in stores as food supplements or medical devices, but a wider range of over-the-counter medicines would continue to be available only at pharmacies.

The reform, therefore, does not bring any significant improvement from the consumers’ point of view. In other Nordic countries, such as Sweden and Norway, there is a considerably wider range of over-the-counter medicines available in shops. The range to be liberated now should be significantly wider.

The government’s proposal would not bring any significant change in the costs of over-the-counter medicines for consumers, either. Even after the reform, Finns would pay a significantly higher price for their over-the-counter medicines than other Nordic consumers. According to a survey conducted by the Finnish Commerce Federation, over-the-counter medicines are 37 per cent cheaper in Sweden than in Finland on average.

The proposal would impose restrictions on the efficient procurement of commerce sector companies by, for example, prohibiting the import of medicines. In addition, the online sales of over-the-counter medicines would not actually be enabled.

“The fear is that the second government in a row will implement a reform of over-the-counter medicines that will not be visible to consumers in any way,” says Kari Luoto, Managing Director of the Finnish Commerce Federation.

“The previous reform enabled price competition in over-the-counter medicines for pharmacies. However, few pharmacies have offered discounts to consumers,” says Luoto.

A wide range of over-the-counter medicines would serve the residents of sparsely populated areas

The liberalisation of the sale of over-the-counter medicines would also have a major impact on the residents of sparsely populated areas and small shops, which are often significant operators, offer diverse services and maintain the service network of villages in sparsely populated areas.

“The over-the-counter medicine reform, which brings genuine benefits to consumers, would support the role of small rural shops as multi-service points in a market-based manner. At the same time, the operating conditions of the supply of daily goods in sparsely populated areas would also be supported in serious disruptions and exceptional circumstances,” says Tuula Loikkanen, Managing Director of the Finnish Grocery Trade Association.

For 30 years, a wide range of over-the-counter medicines – including commonly used painkillers – have been sold in the shops of some sparsely populated areas from so-called medicine cabinets. Expanding the sales into the geographically comprehensive network and extensive opening hours of commerce would improve the accessibility of pharmaceuticals and streamline transactions in both cities and sparsely populated areas. With the reform, over-the-counter medicines would become available in grocery stores, village shops, kiosks and optics stores, for example.

Distortion of competition between companies continues

Monopolies in the pharmacy sector cause a distortion of competition for companies. Pharmacies sell food supplements, cosmetics and health products and provide healthcare services in pharmacies under their monopoly. The reform proposed by the government also includes the risk that the holder of the sales permit for the medicinal product, i.e. the pharmaceutical company, will not apply for a sales permit for the sale of the over-the-counter medicinal product outside pharmacies, even if this is made possible by law.

“The proposed reform does not reduce the competitive neutrality problem, as the range of medicines to be liberated outside pharmacies remains minimal. In addition, the proposal leaves the implementation of the reform to the goodwill of pharmaceutical factories,” says Panu Tast, Managing Director of the Finnish Association of Vision and Eyecare.

The Finnish Commerce Federation proposes that the government’s proposal should be amended in the further preparations so that the reform would also provide genuine benefits to consumers and that all operators in pharmaceutical sales would be treated equally. The competition authority and the consumer organisation have also proposed the same.

Attachments and additional links

Esimerkkejä itsehoitolääkevalikoimasta, liite 18.8.2025 (in Finnish)

Kaupan liiton lausunto luonnoksesta hallituksen esitykseksi eduskunnalle apteekkitalouden uudistuksesta ja lääkesäästöjen toimeenpanoa koskevaksi lainsäädännöksi (in Finnish)

Pharmaceuticals are more expensive in Finland than in Sweden >

More information:

Kari Luoto, Managing Director, Finnish Commerce Federation, tel. +358 (0) 400 688 708, kari.luoto(at)kauppa.fi

Tuula Loikkanen, Managing Director, The Finnish Grocery Trade Association, tel. +358 (0) 40 922 0750, tuula.loikkanen(at)pty.fi

Panu Tast, Managing Director, Finnish Association of Vision and Eyecare, tel. (0) 40 5422 227, panu.tast(at)naery.fi