Prescriptions

Category of a pharmacy – there are three different categories of pharmacies in Estonia: general pharmacy, hospital pharmacy and veterinary pharmacy (see Classifications and lists).

Medicinal product – any substance or combination of substances intended for the prevention, diagnoses or treatment of a disease or disease symptom, for the relief of a disease condition in a human or animal, or for the restoration or alteration of vital functions in a human or animal through pharmacological, immunological or metabolic effect.

Medicinal products prepared as magistral formulae – medicinal products prepared in a pharmacy in accordance with a medical prescription or order form.

Medicinal products subject to medical prescription – shall be dispensed by general pharmacies and veterinary pharmacies to consumers only on the basis of a conforming medical or veterinary prescription.

Pharmacy services – the retail sale or other dispensing of medicinal products together with provision of related consultations for the appropriate and effective use of medicinal products, and provision of information to the user on the correct and safe use and preservation of medicinal products, and the preparation of medicinal products as magistral formulae and officinal formulae and dividing-up into packages of medicinal products. Pharmacy services shall be provided only by pharmacies holding a corresponding activity licence and structural units thereof.

Prescription – an order, issued by a doctor or dentist or midwife, for a pharmacy to supply a medicinal product to a patient.

Proprietary medicinal products – medicinal products with a trade name packaged for placing on the market.

Total number of EL prescriptions – the number of prescriptions that are dispensed by pharmacies on the basis of a confirming prescription issued in a Member State of the European Union (excluding Estonia), a Member State of the European Economic Area or Switzerland (hereinafter EU prescription).

Total number of prescriptions – the sum of the following prescriptions: prescriptions with discount rate, prescriptions without discount, EL prescriptions, prescriptions for medicinal products prepared as magistral formulae and veterinary prescriptions. Each prescription is accounted only once.

Total number of prescriptions for medicinal products prepared as magistral formulae (excl. tempore prescriptions) – the number of prescriptions for dispensing medicinal products prepared as magistral formulae.

Total number of prescriptions with discount rate – the number of prescriptions where the discount rate is marked on the prescription.

Total number of prescriptions without discount rate – the number of prescriptions without discount rate marked on the prescription.

Total number of the veterinary prescriptions – the number of prescription for dispensing veterinary medicinal products or medicinal products for human use for treating animals.

The main purpose of data collection is to obtain the overview of the medicinal products market, distribution of medicinal products sales, sold and consumed medicines and activity of pharmacies.

The Bureau of Statistics of the Estonian State Agency of Medicines has the responsibility to collect data from general pharmacies and hospital pharmacies concerning their sphere of activity. The drug utilization data is collected from all licensed pharmacies four times a year, every quarter.

General information about veterinary pharmacies can be found on the Estonian State Agency of Medicines webpage.

When comparing the turnover of pharmacies on different years it is worth noting that the VAT (value added tax) for medicinal products increased from 5% to 9% and VAT for other products increased from 18% to 20% at the beginning of July 2009.

Classification of Administrative and Settlement Units of Estonia (EHAK)

This classification is used upon submission of regional statistics. Regional health care statistics are submitted by 15 counties. Information about Tallinn and Tartu is submitted separately. This classification system is available on the webpage of the Statistics Estonia in the Classifications section.

Categories of pharmacies:

• General pharmacy is an enterprise formed for the purpose of provision of pharmacy services. General pharmacy has a right to dispense human and veterinary medicinal products and other pharmacy goods (e.g. natural products, medical devices, hygiene products) if it doesn’t interfere the sale of medicinal products.
• Veterinary pharmacy is an enterprise formed for the purpose of provision of services which has the right to dispense only veterinary medicinal products and other goods for animal keepers.
• Hospital pharmacy is a structural unit of a hospital which supplies such hospital and, based on an agreement, also hospitals belonging to other operators of hospitals, social welfare institutions or holders of an activity licence for provision of emergency medical care with medicinal products and other products for medical purposes.
• A branch pharmacy is a structural unit of a pharmacy.

Pharmacy statistics

State Agency of Medicines

E-mail: info[at]ravimiamet.ee

Phone: +372 737 4140

Updated: 12.05.2023