Argentina moves to sell over‑the‑counter drugs outside pharmacies, prompting pharmacist backlash

President Javier Milei's administration is pushing a bill to amend Law 17.565, which would permit over‑the‑counter medicines to be sold in kiosks, supermarkets and service stations. The proposal revives a similar 1990s deregulation effort and follows a 2023 decree (DNU 70/2023) that was halted by the courts after pharmacy unions COFA and Fefara obtained an injunction.

Pharmacy groups in provinces such as Córdoba and Mendoza have warned that removing the pharmacist from the dispensing process endangers public health. Critics argue that "desregular medicamentos no es modernizar, es desproteger" and that the change could increase risks of overdose, drug interactions and counterfeit products.