Monday, November 30, 2015

Legal Updates - November 30, 2015

Royal Decree 35/2015: The Law on Regulating the Profession of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Establishments

RD 35/2015 promulgates the law regulating the profession of pharmacists and pharmacies (the “Pharmacy Law”). The Pharmacy Law introduces a number of measures designed to protect Omani pharmacists from foreign competition and to prevent the formation of monopolies in the pharmaceutical sector.

Such measures include limiting the number of pharmacies an individual may open to one, restricting the number of branches that any given pharmacy may open, and stipulating the minimum distance between pharmacies.

Article 11 provides that either the owner of any pharmaceutical establishment or one of his partners must be an Omani partner. The Minster of Health may waive the requirement for a pharmaceutical qualification in areas where pharmaceutical services are scarce.

It is hoped that the law will help Omani pharmacists find jobs in pharmacies, increase the availability and distribution of pharmaceutical services over a greater area, and encourage investment in the sector.