THE COMPETITION AND Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has launched a market study into the retail pharmacy sector in Ireland.

The study will focus on how the market is working for consumers and will assess how retail pharmacies compete to win consumers.

It will also look at the supply of prescription and over-the-counter products to consumers.

The retail pharmacy market is a large and significant market, with over two million consumers visiting pharmacies on a weekly basis. There are a total of 1,918 retail pharmacies in Ireland, which excludes hospital pharmacies in the country.

The CCPC has identified areas of the retail market that merit closer examination based on consumer complaints, preliminary research and market developments.

The watchdog wants to understand areas such as price transparency and consumer switching.

The study will examine the retail pharmacy market and make recommendations about ways to improve competition and consumer outcomes.

As part of the market study, the CCPC is inviting stakeholders to share their views and experiences of the market.

Geoffrey Gray, Commission Member said, “Retail pharmacies play an important role in supplying consumers with essential medicines and services, so it’s vital that the market is working and delivering for consumers.

“That’s why we want to hear from consumers, pharmacy owners, pharmacists, public bodies, regulators, representative groups and others with views and experiences of this market.”

The CCPC has put out a set of questions for stakeholders, and is inviting them to send their responses by 9 July 2026.

It has stressed that the market study is “not a criticism of pharmacists’ professionalism, clinical judgement or the care they provide” and that its focus is on “understanding how competition in the retail pharmacy market is working for consumers”.