Pharmacists threaten to protest if required to register their sales systems with the National Revenue Agency

The Board of the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union categorically opposes the proposed change in the 2026 State Budget Act, which obliges pharmacies to use only sales management software registered with the National Revenue Agency (NRA). The organization warns that such a measure could lead to a collapse in the drug supply system and calls on the Council of Ministers not to adopt Paragraph 18 of the transitional and final provisions of the bill.

Pharmacists declare full readiness for protest to protect the rights of patients and the profession if the law is adopted in its current form. This is stated in the union’s official position regarding the draft law.

According to the BPU, the requirement for software registration with the NRA is practically unfeasible. The organization reminds that pharmacies are legally required to use specialized sales management systems for medicinal products, which are connected in real-time to several national platforms: the National Health Information System, the NHIF information system, the specialized electronic system for tracking and analyzing medicinal products from the Positive List, as well as the National Medicines Verification Register.

“These complex systems could hardly be registered with the NRA within the specified deadline of January 1, 2026. We must recall that back in 2018, the Ministry of Finance repeatedly extended the deadline for SMSS (Sales Management Software) registration and eventually abandoned mandatory registration due to complex reasons,” the union’s position states.

The BPU warns that the new requirement could make it impossible for pharmacies to operate, potentially leaving patients without access to medicines from the beginning of 2026. “With the proposed project, the government is creating the conditions for an unprecedented national health crisis. At the same time, from January 1, 2026, pharmacy software must also be adapted to work in two currencies—lev and euro—which is a massive challenge,” the professional organization emphasizes.

According to the union, the prepared draft introduces an unjustified financial and administrative burden on retailers and fails to account for the specifics of their activities. Pharmacists point out that the trade in medicinal products is strictly regulated by special laws—the Law on Medicinal Products in Human Medicine and the Health Insurance Act—and insist on expert dialogue before any changes are adopted.

“Adopting the bill in this form could affect the rights of health-insured individuals regarding access to certain medications from the Positive Drug List and lead to disputes between the NHIF and pharmacies. Any change aimed at different sectors of public activity, without in-depth analysis and discussion with professional organizations, carries the risk of a collapse of individual systems,” the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union’s statement further reads.