THE FUTURE of hundreds of small chemists was said to be under threat today as the government moved to scrap retail price maintenance on the sale of over-the-counter drugs like aspirin.
But while chemists may have welcomed the anomalous retention of RPM in their business, consumers do not benefit from such price-fixing.
Its existence, it is estimated, is costing them £180million a year and its removal would mean that the price of some drugs would halve in large stores and supermarkets with the effect of real competition.
And why not? That's what free enterprise is supposed to be all about.
And even if for the hitherto-protected pharmacies it becomes a case of the survival of the fittest, whether or not hundreds of rural chemists are forced to shut will not be down to scrapping of rpm, but whether their customers are content with their prices.
Previous news story
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article