Foundations · Italy

Parapharmacy in Italy

The Italian parafarmacia is a distinct retail format created by the 2006 Bersani decree. Unlike its French counterpart, it can sell non-prescription medicines as well as cosmetics, supplements and medical devices — but only with a registered pharmacist on the premises.

Legal definition

An Italian parafarmacia is a commercial establishment authorised to sell non-prescription medicinal products (medicinali senza obbligo di prescrizione, or SOP, and over-the-counter medicines known as OTC) outside the network of pharmacies (farmacie). It is recognised by Italian law as a distinct retail category and is registered with the Ministero della Salute, which maintains a national list of parafarmacie. The owner may or may not be a pharmacist, but the establishment must have a registered pharmacist responsible for the sale of medicinal products on the premises whenever such products are available.

The Bersani decree

The category was created by Decreto-legge 4 luglio 2006, n. 223 (the "Bersani decree", from the surname of the minister Pier Luigi Bersani), converted with modifications into Legge 4 agosto 2006, n. 248. Article 5 of the decree liberalised the retail sale of non-prescription medicinal products: prior to 2006, all medicinal products including OTCs could only be sold through pharmacies; from 2006, OTCs and SOPs could be sold through other retail outlets (supermarkets, dedicated parafarmacie) provided that the sale was carried out by a registered pharmacist.

The Bersani decree did not change the rules on prescription medicines, which remained reserved to pharmacies, nor the rules on price regulation of reimbursed medicines. It also preserved the territorial planning rules (pianta organica) that govern the location of pharmacies, later recast at one pharmacy per 3,300 inhabitants (Article 11(1) of Decreto-legge 1/2012). Since 2017 pharmacies may also be held by capital companies, with a pharmacist as director (Article 7(1) of Legge 362/1991 as amended). Subsequent legislation and Constitutional Court decisions have clarified the scope of the liberalisation. The fundamental architecture established in 2006 — non-prescription medicines saleable in parafarmacie with a pharmacist on premises, prescription medicines reserved to pharmacies — remains in force.

Scope of sale

An Italian parafarmacia may sell:

• Non-prescription medicines (SOP and OTC) classified as such by the Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco (AIFA).
• Cosmetic products under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
• Food supplements (integratori alimentari) within the meaning of Directive 2002/46/EC as transposed by Decreto legislativo 21 maggio 2004, n. 169.
• Medical devices bearing the CE mark under Regulation (EU) 2017/745.
• Veterinary OTC medicines in some configurations, under conditions set by the relevant veterinary medicines legislation.
• Infant nutrition, oral hygiene, dietary products for special medical purposes, and related categories.

What may not be sold

• Prescription medicines (medicinali con obbligo di prescrizione), including those reimbursed by the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale.
• Medicines requiring particular dispensing controls, such as those subject to special prescription rules.
• Magistral preparations, and officinal preparations requiring a prescription, which are reserved to pharmacies. Outlets meeting the ministerial requirements may prepare officinal galenic preparations that need no prescription (Article 11(15) of Decreto-legge 1/2012).

Personnel and registration

The defining personnel rule for an Italian parafarmacia is the obligation that a registered pharmacist (iscritto all'Albo dei Farmacisti) be present on the premises during opening hours, where non-prescription medicines are sold. The pharmacist is responsible for the dispensation of these products, for verifying that the customer has the information necessary for safe use, and for refusing supply where this is professionally indicated. The pharmacist must hold the laurea in Farmacia or Chimica e Tecnologia Farmaceutiche and be registered with the provincial Ordine dei Farmacisti.

The establishment itself must be communicated to the regional authority and to the Ministero della Salute, which lists parafarmacie alongside farmacie in its public register. Premises must comply with rules on the storage of medicinal products, including temperature control and security, and must keep medicinal products visually and physically separated from other products.

Online sales

Online sale of non-prescription medicines from Italy is permitted but is subject to an authorisation issued by the region or autonomous province (Article 112-quater of Decreto legislativo 219/2006, implementing Directive 2011/62/EU). Only outlets that are authorised to dispense medicines in physical form — that is, pharmacies and parafarmacie — may obtain an online-sale authorisation, and they must display the EU common logo for legal online pharmacies. The Ministero della Salute maintains a public list of authorised online sellers. Prescription medicines may not be sold online in Italy.

Cosmetics, food supplements and medical devices may be sold online without a medicines-specific authorisation, subject to the usual product rules. The Ministero della Salute supervises food supplements via a notification regime under Decreto legislativo 169/2004.

Market context

The Bersani decree was justified at the time on grounds of competition and consumer choice, and has since been the subject of an extensive academic literature on its effects on prices, access and pharmacy network density. Independent reviews of the literature have generally found price effects for non-prescription medicines and a substantial expansion of the parafarmacia network. Specific numerical estimates vary by study and time period; this site does not cite figures without verifying the source. The Italian Federation of Pharmacists (FOFI) and the Movimento Nazionale Liberi Farmacisti (representing parafarmacia owners) have at times taken opposed positions on further liberalisation, particularly on whether prescription medicines (or a subset of them) should also be permitted in parafarmacie. As of writing, prescription medicines remain reserved to pharmacies.

Frequently asked questions

Can Italian pharmacies give discounts?

Yes. Pharmacies may discount all medicines and products paid for directly by customers (Article 11(8) of Decreto-legge 1/2012). Other authorised retailers may discount the medicines they sell if the discount is clearly displayed and offered to all buyers (Article 5(3) of Decreto-legge 223/2006).

Can non-prescription medicines be sold in Italian supermarkets?

Yes. Neighbourhood shops and medium and large stores may sell non-prescription medicines after notifying the Ministry of Health and the region, in a dedicated department with a registered pharmacist present (Article 5 of Decreto-legge 223/2006).

Who can own a parafarmacia in Italy?

Article 5 of the Bersani decree sets no ownership condition, so any commercial operator may run one. What it requires is a registered pharmacist on the premises when medicines are sold.

Is there an Italian equivalent of Spain's código nacional de parafarmacia?

Not an official one that we could find. Medicines have an AIC code. Other products commonly carry a commercial PARAF code from the Farmadati database, the closest analogue, and medical devices also have a Ministry repertoire number.

Last reviewed: November 2026.