The German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL) firmly rejects Nina Warken’s draft of the Pharmacy Supply Further Development Act (ApoVWG) to extend laboratory diagnostic examinations to pharmacies. In a recent statement , the professional society warns of an unnecessary parallel structure that would jeopardize the existing nationwide and high-quality laboratory medical care in Germany.

In the opinion of the DGKL, there is no need for additional testing services in pharmacies, as the supply by medical laboratories is already secured close to home, quickly and economically. Instead, an expansion would lead to inefficient duplicate structures, potentially lower quality and higher costs.

In particular, it is criticized that no medical indication is possible in pharmacies, which is absolutely necessary for meaningful laboratory tests. In addition, pharmacies often lack the spatial, hygienic and technical requirements – for example, for the safe handling of infectious material for pathogens such as influenza, RSV, noroviruses or rotaviruses. Confidential discussions or examinations, for example in the case of sexually transmitted infections, are hardly feasible there.

The DGKL also fears a weakening of the electronic patient record (ePA), as test results from pharmacies are stored in isolation and are difficult to interpret without a medical context. This could lead to unnecessary duplicate examinations and additional costs. The lack of mandatory quality assurance according to the guidelines of the German Medical Association (Rili-BÄK) is also seen as a problem, which could lead to a “two-class diagnosis”.

Other concerns concern conflicts of interest: The combination of tests and direct sale of products such as dietary supplements or over-the-counter remedies contradicts independent diagnostics and is ethically questionable. In addition, there is a risk of a gap in the reporting of notifiable pathogen detections to the public health service, as pharmacies are currently not connected accordingly.

The professional society warns of risks for vulnerable patient groups, for example in the case of false negative results due to insufficiently trained staff, and sees the historically grown separation of medical and pharmaceutical responsibility at risk. Instead of new parallel structures, the DGKL advocates strengthening the proven cooperation between doctors and medical laboratories.

The draft law of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) was discussed in the Bundestag in the first reading on February 27, 2026. Overall, it aims to strengthen pharmacies economically and expand their role in health care.

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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