Medicines

Medicines Netherlands

A medicine is a drug containing a substance or a combination of substances intended to have a specific effect on the body. The effect can be curative, symptom-relieving (e.g., pain relief), or preventive against diseases.

Some medicines are available without a prescription and can be sold in general locations (e.g., supermarkets). These are general sales (AV) medicines. Most medicines are pharmacy and drugstore-only (UAD) medicines. UAD medicines may only be sold in pharmacies and drugstores where professional advice on the medicine is available.

Applying for sales rights for medicines in the Netherlands

Do you want to offer AV and UAD medicines on the Dutch market via bol? Then it is mandatory to have sales rights for your selling account(s). When applying for sales rights, you must also agree to the additional conditions for sales rights.

Applying for sales rights for medicinal products in the Netherlands

Would you like to offer AV and UAD medicinal products via bol on the Dutch market? Then it is mandatory to have sales rights for your sales account(s). When applying for sales rights, you must also agree to the additional conditions for sales rights.

The following additional conditions apply to the sale of AV and UAD products (“Medicinal Products”):

• The partner must have been active at bol for at least one (1) year and have successfully completed the Growth Period.
• The partner must demonstrate a proven reputation and track record in the AV/UAD market. The required information will be specified during the application process (for example, aggregated sales data or an existing sales channel on another platform).
• After holding sales rights for Medicinal Products (AV/UAD) for one (1) year, the partner may also sell stimulants via bol and may only offer the selected items as listed on the Partner Platform.
• The partner must hold the CBD “Waarborgcertificaat Zelfzorg Online” for at least six (6) months.
• The partner ensures they are always reachable for bol and responds within 24 hours to questions (including outside office hours and during weekends).
• The partner is required to attend a meeting with bol’s Health Store Team once every six (6) months to discuss progress, questions, and potential issues.
• The partner declares that the items are purchased and/or manufactured by a company established in the EU and that complies with European legislation.
• The partner will comply with applicable laws and regulations and with the guidelines for responsible care from the CBD (Centraal Bureau Drogisterijbedrijven), which apply to the sale of Medicinal Products.
• The partner is responsible for adhering to the applicable legislation regarding selling medicinal products on the bol platform. This means, among other things, that the partner is responsible for displaying mandatory information about the medicinal products offered, complying with advertising regulations (including Article 62 & Article 86 of the Medicines Act and the Dutch Advertising Code), and ensuring the availability of advice from a qualified druggist on working days and at least one weekend day.
• The partner holds the required permit and must be registered and listed in the overview of online providers of medicines for AV/UAD medicinal products.
• A CBD membership is mandatory, and the partner must comply with their guideline for responsible care. To this end, the partner must have successfully completed the CBD audit and must use the CBD database content (e.g., leaflets, dosage information). The partner will share the audit result with bol upon request.
• Medicinal products may only be offered in the Netherlands; sales in Belgium are not permitted.
• If a partner wants to offer a bundle of three (3) identical medicinal products, they must always also offer a single (1) unit. The reason is that consumers may not be encouraged to purchase more medicinal products than needed. Offering only bundles of three would leave consumers without the option to buy a single unit, which is against the law.
• It is not permitted to sell UA (pharmacy‑only) or UR (prescription‑only) medicines on the bol platform.
• The partner is at all times responsible for the content provided. Even if the partner does not have the buy button but their supplied content is live, they remain liable for the information shown with their products.
• All deliveries to the customer are shipped directly by the partner and must consist solely of items the partner has in stock (no dropshipping).
• It is not permitted to provide free samples of medicinal products, make direct or indirect price offers, issue vouchers, or offer volume discounts when selling medicinal products. The partner is fully responsible for complying with this.
• Medicinal products may only be sold by a partner who employs a qualified druggist and makes this druggist available for customer advice on working days and at least one weekend day.

How to apply for sales rights:

1. Send the information below (completed) as an application for sales rights to healthassortment@bol.com & gezondheid@bol.com. We will get back to your application as soon as possible.
   A. Seller account name
   B. Retailer ID
   C. Application date
   D. Sales email address
   E. Are you applying for sales rights for 1 or more accounts? Fill in information A to D for each account.
   F.'Yes, I agree to the Additional Terms and Conditions' for sales rights
   G. ’Yes, I comply with the additional terms and conditions for the sale of AV and UAD medicines’
2. We will start processing your application.
3. We will request the following supporting documents from you to verify that you meet the requirements:
   - CBD membership
   - CBD Audit Report
   - License(s) and registrations for the sale of AV/UAD medicines
   - Availability of a qualified pharmacist, including the times during which the customer can call the qualified pharmacist.
4. You send the supporting documents back to us;
5. We will check the submitted documents. Do they meet the requirements? Then you will receive sales rights for AV/UAD medicines in the Netherlands. If they do not meet the requirements, we cannot grant sales rights.

Once you have received sales rights, Medicines may be offered. The sales rights are periodically checked. Ensure that you always comply with the additional terms and conditions.