The pharmacy reform law (ApoVWG) has, since July 2026, changed a few pharmacy tasks, for example around blood draw and pharmaceutical services. Many people ask what this means for remote advice and video advice in the pharmacy.
What does telepharmacy actually mean?
Telepharmacy means pharmaceutical advice and support that does not have to happen at the counter on site, but over the phone, by video, or through other digital channels. This includes things like follow-up questions on medication, intake guidance, or supporting a pharmaceutical service from a distance.
The term is not a fixed legal term with a single legal definition, but a collective term for different forms of remote communication between the pharmacy and its customers. How far single tasks may be done remotely depends on the professional and pharmacy rules in force, which are developing in part with the ApoVWG. For patients, what matters most is that telepharmacy is an addition to on-site advice, not a replacement for it in every case.
What does the ApoVWG actually change about pharmacy tasks?
The ApoVWG has been in force since 2 July 2026. It allows licensed pharmacists to draw venous blood after doctor-led training. For the pharmaceutical services (pDL), five new ones are added to the five existing services with fixed prices, and these are still being negotiated. In total, eight of the ten services need no doctor's prescription.
For the venous blood draw, a model curriculum must first be drawn up, which the Federal Chamber of Pharmacists presents together with the Federal Medical Association by 2 November 2026 at the latest. As things stand, the venous draw is not planned for PTAs. Capillary measurements, for example within established offerings like Tasso+, are already possible today within the existing frame and were not newly created by the ApoVWG.
Does the ApoVWG regulate video advice in the pharmacy separately?
On specific rules for video advice newly anchored in the ApoVWG, there are no solid details. For reliable statements on the exact scope, you should ask directly at the ABDA, the responsible state pharmacists' chamber, or the Federal Ministry of Health.
What is known and documented is the timeline of the reform. Since it came into force on 2 July 2026, several deadlines have been running in parallel, for example two months for standard operating procedures (SOP), four months for the model curriculum, four months for the pay negotiation of the new pDL, and twelve weeks for a possible arbitration process. Until these deadlines pass and accompanying rules take shape, some caution on detailed statements about telepharmacy is in order.
How do remote advice and on-site diagnostics in the pharmacy connect?
Remote advice and on-site diagnostics complement each other: a measurement or draw necessarily happens in the pharmacy, and the expert read of the result can then follow by phone, video, or in writing. A single value never replaces a doctor's check.
In practice this means the pharmacy stays the place of sample collection, because a capillary measurement or, in future, the venous draw requires physical presence. The follow-up support, such as reminders, follow-up questions, or the read within a pharmaceutical service, can be organized with tech support from a distance too. Where the legal line between personal and phone or digital advice runs in a given case is set by the professional rules of the respective state pharmacists' chamber.
Which deadlines of the reform matter for pharmacies now?
Since the ApoVWG came into force on 2 July 2026, several fixed deadlines have been running: two months for SOP, four months for the model curriculum on blood draw, four months for the pay negotiation of the new pharmaceutical services, and twelve weeks for a possible arbitration process.
| Topic | Deadline | Status |
|---|
| SOP (standard operating procedures) | 2 months from entry into force | Running since 2 July 2026 |
| Model curriculum for blood draw | 4 months at the latest | Federal Chamber of Pharmacists with Federal Medical Association, deadline 2 November 2026 |
| Pay negotiation for new pDL | 4 months from entry into force | Running since 2 July 2026 |
| Arbitration process (if needed) | 12 weeks | Downstream, if negotiation fails |
You can follow the running deadlines on our ApoVWG deadline tracker.
What can pharmacies already offer today in on-site diagnostics?
Capillary measurements within established offerings are already possible today and independent of the ApoVWG. The venous blood draw by licensed pharmacists, on the other hand, requires the doctor-led training per the model curriculum still to be drawn up, and so is not yet widely ready to start.
For pharmacies looking at adding blood draw or biomarker offerings, it is worth looking at the actual lab logistics and diagnostics infrastructure behind it, regardless of how much of it is later supported by video advice. Customers who want a value read should discuss it with medical professionals as a rule, especially for unusual or unclear results.
Frequently asked questions
Is telepharmacy legally defined in Germany?
There is no single legal definition. Telepharmacy is a collective term for advice and support by pharmacies over phone, video, or digital channels. Details on the given scope are set by existing pharmacy and professional rules and by single services.
Since when does the ApoVWG apply?
The ApoVWG has been in force since 2 July 2026, published on 1 July 2026 in the Federal Law Gazette 2026 Part I No. 195. Several implementation deadlines, for example for SOP and the model curriculum, have been running since then.
Will PTAs be allowed to draw venous blood in future?
As things stand, the venous blood draw in the ApoVWG is planned for licensed pharmacists after doctor-led training, not for PTAs. The model curriculum for it is being drawn up by the Federal Chamber of Pharmacists and the Federal Medical Association by 2 November 2026 at the latest.
Does a video consultation replace a doctor's visit?
No. A video consultation in the pharmacy can clarify intake guidance or support a service, but it does not replace a doctor's diagnosis. Unusual values or symptoms always belong in a doctor's check.
What are pharmaceutical services (pDL)?
pDL are extra advice and support services by pharmacies beyond plain dispensing. With the ApoVWG, five new services are added to the five existing ones with fixed prices, for a total of eight of the ten services without a doctor's prescription. See our overview of the pharmaceutical services.
Terms explained quickly
- ApoVWG is the pharmacy reform law, in force since 2 July 2026, which among other things reorders pharmacy tasks and pay.
- Telepharmacy is pharmaceutical advice and support that happens fully or partly over phone, video, or digital channels rather than only on site.
- pDL are pharmaceutical services: extra, separately paid advice and support services by pharmacies.
- Model curriculum is a training frame drawn up jointly by the Federal Chamber of Pharmacists and the Federal Medical Association, here for the venous blood draw by pharmacists.
- Capillary measurement is a blood draw from the smallest vessels, for example by a finger prick, in contrast to the venous draw from a vein.
Sources
For pharmacies
Aniva delivers the full blood diagnostics infrastructure for the local pharmacy: lab, doctor's assessment, app report, and logistics. Learn more at Aniva for pharmacies and in the post ApoVWG FAQ.
