As a matter of fact, pharmacies’ revenue, reflecting both sales drugs and of cosmetics, para-pharmaceuticals or various medical devices, has been on the rise in recent years, defying the general context, ruled by declines.
While major networks’ business expanded by 10% last year, the pharmaceutical market as a whole grew at a much lower pace, of just 1%.
Five of the 20 largest pharmaceutical retailers were in the red last year, according to data from the Trade Registry, which took into account a single legal entity (not groups of companies). The other 15 operators of pharmacy chains generated total profit worth EUR16 million.
The pharmacy field, a highly regulated one, is undergoing a period of changes. The first started being implemented last year and refers to the tighter deadlines for the payments the state makes for reimbursed drugs and the second is likely to be applied starting 2015 and involves giving up the demographic criterion when setting the number of pharmacies operating on the market.
Another novelty of 2015 is likely to be the start of online sales for OTC drugs should a draft now under debate be approved. Thus, 2014 has shaped up as a transition year, when pharmacies had to adapt to new conditions.
According to Trade Registry data, Sensiblu, the company grouping all the pharmacy in the network, was the biggest pharmaceutical retailer. On the other hand, other retailers, such as Catena, have their networks operated through several legal entities. Catena reported total revenue of EUR338 million for last year, placing it on the top position among the biggest networks.
“In 2014, we opened 40 new pharmacies, we relocated five pharmacies and closed down seven,” says Ovidiu Wencz, the general manager of S.I.E.P.C.O.F.A.R., the company that operates Dona pharmacies. Dona is one of the five network in top 20 that posted losses, a result the company’s management accounted for by the overall aggressive price reduction trend and expansion.
Major networks are supporting the demographic criterion, saying in the lack of it the number of insolvencies will rise, and many units, which already have problems, will collapse.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)