In one sentence
ApoVWG is the abbreviation for the Apothekenversorgung-Weiterentwicklungsgesetz, the German law reworking what pharmacies are allowed to do. It has been in force since 2 July 2026 and, among other things, permits trained pharmacists to carry out a venöse Blutentnahme.
ApoVWG stands for the Apothekenversorgung-Weiterentwicklungsgesetz, whose full title is Gesetz zur Weiterentwicklung der Apothekenversorgung. It was signed on 26 June 2026, published on 1 July 2026 in Bundesgesetzblatt 2026 Teil I Nr. 195, and came into force on 2 July 2026.
The official short name carries no linking s. Two variants circulate widely in trade coverage and neither is correct: Apothekenreformgesetz and Apothekenversorgungs-Weiterentwicklungsgesetz.
Not every part started at once. The Notdienst provisions follow on 1 October 2026, the changes to the Arzneimittelpreisverordnung on 1 January 2027, and one further provision on a date the Bundesministerium für Gesundheit has still to announce. The rules that matter most for a diagnostics offering, the new § 11c Apothekengesetz and the amendments to the Apothekenbetriebsordnung, have been live since July.
What the law changes in practice: it permits the venöse Blutentnahme in pharmacies under strict conditions, it names ten pharmazeutische Dienstleistungen directly in statute, and it widens pharmacy vaccination to all non-live vaccines. What it does not change is the Fixum, which was raised by a separate ordinance, and it does not permit Telepharmazie.
This glossary entry is general information about German pharmacy law and practice. It is not legal advice. For binding guidance on your own pharmacy, contact your Landesapothekerkammer.
