Businessman Margus Linnamäe, the owner of Apotheka parent company Magnum, said he intended to file a monetary claim against the state if the pharmacy reform was implemented. Several other pharmacy chains, including Benu and Südameapteek, said as recently as two weeks ago that they were considering filing claims of their own, but had not yet made a final decision on whether or not they would. Euroapteek was the only chain to confirm that they would not be filing for damages.

The Ministry of Social Affairs confirmed to ERR, however, that currently, the state has not yet received any claims.

Benu Estonia retail director Kaidi Kelt said that the matter is still on the agenda for their chain, but they simply haven't gotten to it yet due to more practical concerns that arose meanwhile, such as mask procurements.

"The situation is the same as it was a couple of weeks ago," Kelt told ERR. "We have not yet made a decision; it certainly isn't off the table. We just haven't been able to reach an agreement yet regarding what the content of the claim will be if [we file]."

Südameapteek director Risto Laur likewise said that that they have not yet made a decision.

"The filing of a damages claim is being weighed; no final decision has yet been made," Laur said.

Apotheka did not respond to ERR's question regarding its potential claim on Thursday.

Following the nationwide pharmacy reform which entered into effect on April 1, a total of 468 pharmacies will continue operating across the country. 25 pharmacies announced their closures, some of which will nonetheless reopen as pharmacist-owned pharmacies within the next two months. The State Agency of Medicines confirmed that no areas where a pharmacy previously operated has now gone without a single pharmacy.

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