On 12 September 2025 the Federal Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesale (Phagro) presented the results of a representative survey by the Forsa Institute on "Drug Safety in Heat". The occasion is the shipment of medicines from abroad to Germany, which is often carried out without control of the prescribed storage temperatures. According to the association, no authority at national or European level has so far assumed responsibility for this verification.
Majority calls for temperature controls
According to the Forsa survey, 63 percent of respondents expect that adherence to temperature requirements in the shipping of medicines will be monitored. Only one in five considers controls to be dispensable. In
addition, 61 percent of respondents believe that temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius can affect the quality or effectiveness of medicines.
Delivery often without personal handover
According to Phagro, the survey results also show deficits in delivery. Accordingly, 27 percent of respondents stated that medicinal packages had already been placed in front of the house or apartment door. 13 percent reported a deposition at other locations such as garages. Other respondents had to collect their shipments at parcel lockers, from neighbors or in stores. This does not ensure the legally required personal handover.
Differing requirements for pharmacies and mail-order pharmacies
The association notes that wholesalers and brick-and-mortar pharmacies
must meet strict temperature compliance requirements. These obligations incur substantial costs. According to Phagro, mail-order pharmacies would, by contrast, be subjected to less stringent controls, leading to unequal competitive conditions.
„These results show that shipping via parcel service providers, which is used here as standard, is unsuitable for medicines," says Marcus Freitag, Chairman of Phagro. "If medicines sit in heat outdoors or in non-air-conditioned indoor spaces, of course no temperature requirements can be met.”
Political plans to harmonize standards
In the coalition agreement of CDU, CSU and SPD, it is planned to standardize the requirements for on-site pharmacies and mail-order pharmacies. This includes regulations on cold chains
and documentation obligations. Phagro calls for rapid implementation and emphasizes that not only medicines requiring cold chains are affected. Moreover, the regulation must be extended to all medicines that may not be exposed to temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius for extended periods.
Implications for supply
Non-temperature-controlled shipping endangers, according to the association, not only the efficacy and safety of medicines. It also affects the economic framework conditions for pharmacies and wholesalers that must comply with strict temperature requirements. According to Phagro, applying the same rules to all market participants could improve drug safety and at the same time strengthen nationwide supply — without additional government expenditure. (av)
