The Pharmacists’ Syndicate has cancelled its planned strike on 12 February after the Health Ministry has acquiesced to its demands that pharma companies ensure they receive discounts to guarantee a profit margin of 23% for domestic meds and 15% for imported products (directive 499). This will be applied to meds which saw a price increase last month, a Syndicate source tells Al Mal. Health Minister Ahmed Rady also caved on reverting to directive 200, which gives the Syndicate a say in the opening of a new pharmacy, including the approval of the pharmacy’s trade name, within the syndicate. This follows a meeting between Rady and Syndicate members, the culmination of mounting pressure from the Syndicate which had planned to strike on 12 February. Let us hope they stop whining now.