Pharmaceutical wholesaling

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The pharmaceutical wholesale business is the wholesale of pharmaceutical products . It is part of the health system . Its tasks include supplying pharmacies with pharmaceutical company products . It is essential for the pharmaceutical wholesaling to operate logistics that guarantee very fast delivery on a daily basis.

Situation in Germany

The pharmaceutical wholesaling in Germany is the link between the more than 1,500 manufacturers of pharmaceutical and other pharmacy-standard products and the approximately 19,000 pharmacies in Germany. All wholesalers with full supply are part of the Federal Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers - PHAGRO e. V. organized. The association has been based in Berlin since 2010 . It has 11 members. The total turnover in 2019 was around € 32.9 billion. Of this, € 30.0 billion was accounted for by sales of pharmacy-only, prescription-only and non-prescription drugs.

The wholesale margin is determined by the Medicines Price Ordinance ( § 2 Paragraph 1): For prescription-only finished medicinal products, the surcharge on the pharmaceutical company's sales price is 3.15%, but not more than € 37.80, plus a fixed surcharge of 70 cents.

The legal definition can be found in § 4 (22) Medicines Act : Wholesale of medicinal products is any professional or commercial activity carried out for the purpose of trading that consists of the procurement, storage, dispensing or export of medicinal products, with the exception of the dispensing of medicinal products to consumers other than doctors, dentists, veterinarians or hospitals.

The operation of a pharmaceutical wholesaling company requires the approval of the responsible state authorities in accordance with Section 52a of the Medicines Act.

Member firms

The member companies can be divided into three groups.

Wholesalers working nationwide

Pharma private

The members of Pharma Privat , a cooperation of owner-managed private pharmaceutical wholesalers, include:

  • Leopold Fiebig GmbH & Co. KG, Rheinstetten
    • founded in 1898 - 1 warehouse in Rheinstetten
    • Turnover: € 161 million (2008)
  • Otto Geilenkirchen GmbH & Co KG, Aachen
  • Max Jenne Arzneimittel-Großhandlung KG, Kiel
    • founded in 1879 - administration in Kiel, 3 warehouses in Neumünster, Lübeck and Lüneburg
  • Richard Kehr GmbH & Co. KG, Braunschweig
    • founded 1924 - 1 warehouse in Braunschweig
    • Turnover: € 341 million (2008) (including Kehr Holdermann)
  • Kehr Holdermann GmbH & Co. KG
    • founded 1990 - 1 warehouse in Dessau
    • Richard Kehr's share: 75%
  • Sweeping Berlin
    • Joint venture between Kehr and Kehr Holdermann, emerged from the bankruptcy estate of the Gesine pharmacy cooperation
  • C. Krieger & Co. Successor GmbH & Co. KG, Koblenz
    • founded in 1802 - 1 warehouse in Koblenz

The companies in this group thus have 15 supplying companies and a market share of 8%.

Free members

  • Hageda-Stumpf GmbH & Co., Munich
    • founded 1990 - 1 warehouse in Munich
    • The company is part of the Merckle group of companies and thus indirectly to Phoenix Pharmahandel. This is based on an agreement between Adolf Merckle and the German Federal Cartel Office to merge its various pharmaceutical wholesaling subsidiaries, which Merckle never implemented through straw man solutions.
  • vdLinde-Arzneimittel GmbH, Düsseldorf
    • founded xxxx - 3 warehouses in Hilden , Düsseldorf, Herne
    • On January 1, 2009, vdLinde-Arzneimittel GmbH was taken over by Sanacorp Pharmahandel GmbH. The application for takeover was approved by the EU Commission on March 4, 2009.

The above companies have eight warehouses and a market share of 4%.

history

Merger control proceedings

In 2001, Sanacorp tried to take over ANZAG. However, the takeover failed due to resistance from the cartel office . The legal dispute was ended by a judgment of the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court in October 2006. The merger control proceedings were one of the longest in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany . Until the takeover by Alliance Boots at the end of 2010, Sanacorp held a 24.99% stake in ANZAG.

Penalties for illegal agreements

At the beginning of 2003, ANZAG decided on a forward strategy. The pharmacies were given discounts in order to expand their own market share. In the middle of 2003 the board of ANZAG was dismissed and the discount war ended. It was agreed between the wholesalers to restore the market shares from the beginning of 2003. This agreement was objected to by the Cartel Office. The fine against the four companies ANZAG, Gehe, Phoenix and Sanacorp, as well as seven responsible parties, was set at just € 2.6 million because it was not possible to determine with sufficient certainty that the cartel-related additional proceeds.

Measures of the cartel office

The Dutch mail-order pharmacy DocMorris has been 90% owned by Celesio AG, the parent company of Gehe Pharma Handel GmbH, since April 2007. The regional pharmacy associations are said to have urged pharmacies to end their supply relationship. The Bundeskartellamt then searched the offices of some regional associations in July 2007 and seized documents. The Gehe has classified the matter as less dramatic, as the negative reactions of the pharmacists remained within the expected framework. The loss of market share was 2.6%, which should be made up in the course of 2007.

Discount competition

Due to lower margins in pharmaceutical wholesaling, the Phoenix Group's management board decided in autumn 2011, on the advice of the Boston Consulting Group, to reduce the discount for the pharmacies supplied. As a result, many pharmacists switched to Noweda, so that Phoenix's market share was reduced to only 25%. In October 2012, the goal was then set to regain the old market share by 2016 and for this purpose the discounts increased again significantly. A loss of 60 to 80 million euros was accepted in the 2013/14 financial year. At the same time, Noweda relied on aggressive market share growth and increased its share from 10% in 2007/08 to 17% in 2011. The companies only reduced their discounts again in spring 2014.

New market entry

AEP direkt has been in existence since October 2013, a wholesaler that only guarantees one delivery per day. The logistics partner is Trans-o-flex.

Situation in Austria

Pharmaceutical wholesaling in Austria consists of six private wholesalers and supplies around 1,328 public pharmacies and 28 branch pharmacies. The average wholesale margin is around 10%, but depends on the ex-works price.

The legal definition can be found in § 2 (2) and (3) Medicines Act : "Medicines wholesaler" is a trader who is entitled to wholesale medicinal products on the basis of the 1994 Trade Regulations, Federal Law Gazette No. 194, and who has a corresponding license in accordance with § 63 para. 1, as well as a pharmaceutical company from another contracting party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area who is entitled to wholesale medicinal products. "Pharmaceutical wholesaler" is a pharmaceutical wholesaler who is able to ensure the supply of pharmaceuticals within the meaning of Section 57 in a certain area, as a result of sufficient storage, a corresponding range of products and a corresponding readiness, regularity and intensity of supply.

Situation in Switzerland

There are several hundred companies in Switzerland with a Swissmedic wholesale license . Of these, however, only four are wholesalers, i.e. H. Wholesaler with a full range; the pharmaceutical wholesalers are organized in the pharmalog.ch association.

European level

Council Directive 92/25 / EEC of March 31, 1992 on the wholesale distribution of medicinal products for human use applies at European level. The umbrella organization of the pharmaceutical wholesalers in Europe is GIRP (groupement international de la répartition pharmaceutique). The association represents the national associations of over 600 wholesalers in 31 European countries, including the leading pan-European companies. President is René Jenny.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ IFH Köln GmbH, 2020
  2. ↑ IFH Köln GmbH, 2020
  3. ↑ IFH Köln GmbH, 2020
  4. ↑ PHOENIX group: PHOENIX in Europe . In: PHOENIX Group . February 10, 2017 ( phoenixgroup.eu [accessed February 24, 2017]).
  5. ↑ APOTHEKE ADHOC: Merckle swallows Phoenix ( Memento from March 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ the NOWEDA eG  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.noweda.de  
  7. ↑ Distribution centers of Andreae-Noris Zahn AG ( Memento of the original from July 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.anzag.de
  8. ↑ Pharma Private
  9. ↑ APOTHEKE ADHOC: Private wholesalers join forces ( memento of the original from August 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  10. ↑ APOTHEKE ADHOC: Jenne wants to remain the market leader ( memento of the original from March 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  11. ↑ APOTHEKE ADHOC: Kehr goes to Berlin ( Memento of the original from August 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  12. ↑ APOTHEKE ADHOC: “Wholesalers cause themselves problems” ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  13. ↑ APOTHEKE ADHOC: family relationships ( memento of the original from March 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  14. ↑ Sanacorp takes over vdLinde-Arzneimittel GmbH - press release of December 22, 2008
  15. ↑ APOTHEKE ADHOC: Sanacorp may take over from the Linde ( memento of the original from March 7, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Press release of March 4, 2009 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  16. ↑ Reuters - EU gives the green light press release of March 4, 2009
  17. ↑ Sanacorp separates from Anzag participation
  18. ↑ Alexander Müller: The dumb oligopoly . Pharmacy ad hoc dated May 5, 2014
  19. ↑ Patrick Hollstein: Phoenix is ​​about to jump . Pharmacy ad hoc dated November 30, 2012
  20. ↑ Jürgen Salz: The difficult mission of Ludwig Merckle . In: Wirtschaftswoche from May 14, 2014
  21. ↑ Patrick Hollstein: Noweda is targeting Phoenix ( memento of the original from March 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Pharmacy ad hoc from November 24, 2012. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  22. ↑ Patrick Hollstein: Phoenix shortens twice ( memento of the original from June 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Pharmacy ad hoc from April 17, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  23. ↑ Alexander Müller: Gehe abbreviates exactly like Phoenix ( Memento of the original from May 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Pharmacy ad hoc from April 29, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  24. ↑ Alexander Müller: Kartellamt: Reduction as if by magic ( Memento of the original from May 24, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Pharmacy ad hoc dated May 5, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  25. ↑ APOTHEKE ADHOC: AEP will deliver from October ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  26. ↑ APOTHEKE ADHOC: AEP delivers via Trans-o-flex ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.apotheke-adhoc.de
  27. ↑ Arge Pharmazeutika ( Memento from December 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  28. ↑ OJ. No. L 113 of April 30, 1992