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Philipps-Universität Marburg
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Abstract
This study explores the history of the Berliner Apotheker-Verein (BAV), acknowledged
as Germany's oldest pharmacist organization, originating from the collaborative efforts
of Berlin pharmacists on November 26, 1725. A significant disruption occurred in June
1933 with the self-dissolution in response to the rise of the National Socialists. During
the 'Third Reich', organizations such as the Deutsche Apothekerschaft (DDA) or the
Reichsapothekerkammer (RAK) marked the temporary demise of all democratic phar-
macist organizations. Following World War II, the Allied Military Government prohib-
ited these associations. Initially, the Berlin Magistrate entrusted trustees with the
professional and economic representation of Berlin pharmacists, while pharmaceutical
experts in health authorities assumed the responsibilities of a pharmacist chamber. One
of these experts later became a founding member of the new BAV.
The only self-established institution left for pharmacists was the old prescription set-
tlement office located at Apothekerhaus on Carmerstraße 3 (Charlottenburg), which was
reactivated upon request. Starting from the summer of 1945, it processed the prescrip-
tions of the newly established Versicherungsanstalt Berlin (VAB) under Soviet influ-
ence, replacing all previous carriers. The VAB did not recognize a trustee as an official
professional representative. Collective delivery agreements ceased to renew from 1946
onwards, leading the settlement office to face financial difficulties due to the lack of
remuneration. Its sustained existence as an essential institution for the future relied sole-
ly on a levy imposed on pharmacy owners by the pharmacist advisory board established
under the trustee.
The settlement of unpaid prescriptions from the pre-1945 insurance carriers re-
mained distant for pharmacists. Besides rebuilding their pharmacies and ensuring the
supply of medicines to the population, they urgently grappled with establishing a new
collective representation. After gaining permission to establish non-political organiza-
tions in Berlin again, they applied in August 1947 for a city-wide association. However,
due to the prevailing political circumstances, the establishment of sector associations
was only approved in West Berlin in 1948, while it was denied in the Soviet sector. An
association was then founded in the American sector, followed by the British and finally
the French sector.
According to our studies, Berlin pharmacists actively participated in the meetings of
pharmacist chambers in West Germany in November 1948. Another significant
achievement was the subsequent establishment of a jointly recognized official pro-
fessional representation named the 'Apotheker-Verein von Groß-Berlin im amerikan-
ischen– britischen – französischen Sektor.' Successfully, in April 1949, it relocated to
the old Apothekerhaus. On September 21, 1949, approval was granted for a pharmacist
association in the West sectors, which effectively advocated for the recovery of lost
assets and properties and assumed control of the Apothekerhaus. The currency reform in
divided Berlin at that time posed additional challenges.
Preserved protocols and records at the Apothekerhaus reveal that instead of the Bund
Deutscher Apotheker-Vereine, the BAV took on the role of trustee for the ABDA. Col-
laborating with other pharmacist organizations in West Germany, it worked towards es-
tablishing new legislative frameworks and clear definitions in pharmacy and
pharmaceuticals. Until the construction of the Berlin Wall, the BAV fulfilled both asso-
ciation and chamber tasks. In 1963, the Berliner Apothekerkammer (BAK), deemed
necessary since 1952 for creating social institutions for pharmacists, was established,
forming an office community with the BAV. In the 1970s, this cooperation proved suc-
cessful amidst excessive marketing measures by several Berlin pharmacies. With its
membership exclusively comprising economically inclined individuals, the association
increasingly focused on these interests. Following the fall of the Wall, an opportunity
arose to establish a representation for pharmacists in East Berlin. As per our studies, the
emerging Association of Berlin Pharmacists in East Berlin (VBA) closely collaborated
with both the pharmacist chamber and the BAV, aiming to best prepare East Berlin
pharmacists for the new economic system and the privatization of their pharmacies.
After the reunification of Germany, West Berlin pharmacists prioritized uniform
contractual conditions for both parts of the city and sought strong relations with phar-
macist organizations in the surrounding Berlin area. The initially unplanned merger with
the association in the Eastern sector occurred post-reunification, leading to the align-
ment of the name components: ‘Berliner Apotheker-Verein. Apotheker-Verband Berlin
e. V.’ However, the Apothekerhaus, in need of renovation, faced challenges in keeping
up with increased tasks and personnel. Evaluating board reports allowed us to present
proposed and implemented solutions from that time. Tensions escalated during the pro-
longed and intense construction work, straining relations between the association and
the pharmacist chamber, eventually leading to the dissolution of their office community
in the mid-1990s, prompting the chamber to relocate.
The association's board expressed concerns about the future of the pharmacist pro-
fession and the pharmacy. They aimed to safeguard the fundamental pillars of pharmacy
defined in 1999 and tried to prevent further government-induced cost-saving measures
at the pharmacy level. Amid additional cost-cutting laws, reinforcing the professional
aspect of the profession and local pharmacies became crucial to justify their added value
over alternative distribution forms. The association urged member pharmacies to im-
plement corresponding practices in their daily operations, even if it involved unpopular
cost containment measures in healthcare to serve higher goals.
In 2003, a dispute with the Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse (AOK) in Berlin, favoring
the BAV, affected relations with health insurance. Until the European Court of Justice
(ECJ) confirmed the ban on external ownership of pharmacies in 2008, a significant part
of the association's efforts revolved around dealing with the approval of mail-order sales
of prescription drugs in Germany and the expected emergence of large chains of public-
ly traded companies. Post clarifying the legal aspects, the association refocused on ad-
vocating for better compensation for pharmacies. The present study thoroughly
examines the history of the BAV until the election of the first female chairperson.
Review
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Dates
Created: 2025Issued: 2025-08-11Updated: 2025-08-11
Faculty
Fachbereich Pharmazie
Publisher
Philipps-Universität Marburg
Language
ger
Data types
DoctoralThesis
Keywords
VereinsgeschichteVereine
DFG-subjects
Sektorenvereine1945Berliner Apotheker VereinApothekerBerlinGeschichte
DDC-Numbers
570
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Allisat, Ingmar: Zur Geschichte des Berliner Apotheker Vereins nach 1945. : Philipps-Universität Marburg 2025-08-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17192/z2025.0056.