Parallel import means that a drug importer purchases a drug that is also approved in Germany in another EU member state and imports it into Germany. There, it is marketed "parallel" to the original German drug. For this purpose, the parallel importer requires a separate marketing authorization for the parallel-imported drug in Germany.

Due to different legal regulations and market-specific purchasing power, patients in Germany often have to pay significantly more for the same drug than in other EU countries. Thus, imports create competition on patent-protected drugs and save the German health care system about 300 million euros per year directly. The indirect savings are many times higher.