Galenica continues to grow in 2024
Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR, Tuesday, 11 March 2025
With sales up 4.7% in the 2024 financial year, the Galenica Group grew strongly and generated consolidated net sales of CHF 3,921.1 million. As a result, Galenica outperformed market growth and gained market share in all its main business areas. Adjusted1 EBIT increased by 10.3% to CHF 211.0 million. Excluding the one-off special factors in the previous year, the adjusted1 operating result (EBIT) would have increased by 4.9%. Adjusted1 net profit from continuing operations also increased by 13.4% to CHF 183.2 million. Due to this positive result, the Board of Directors will propose to the Annual General Meeting that the dividend be raised to CHF 2.30 per share, which corresponds to an increase of 4.5%.
Guidance for 2025
For the 2025 financial year, Galenica expects sales growth of between 3% and 5%. Galenica expects adjusted1 EBIT to increase by between 4% and 6%. Galenica strives for sustainable and strong dividend growth and plans a dividend for 2025 at least at the previous year’s level.
Detailed information in the 2024 Annual Report
- Galenica Group key figures
- Key figures for the Products & Care segment
- Key figures for the Logistics & IT segment
- Outlook for 2025
Highlights in the 2024 financial year
- The pharmacy network (excluding Coop Vitality) continued to develop dynamically, with the net addition of 10 pharmacies.
- Thanks to high demand for prescription medicines, Galenica pharmacies grew organically by 2.7% and gained further market share.
- Around 193,000 customers made use of the healthcare services and advice offered by Galenica pharmacies in 2024, 39% more than in the previous year. Demand for vaccinations has risen by 20%.
- Verfora’s export business developed very positively with organic growth of 15.1%. This was driven by higher demand for Perskindol® in Asia and earlier product deliveries abroad due to an upcoming regulatory change.
- Growth in the “Services for Professionals” sector (+7.5%) was once again driven by Lifestage Solutions and Medifilm in business with care homes and home care organisations. Medifilm commissioned two new blister packaging machines in 2024 and increased patient numbers by around 10%.
- In the “Wholesale” sector, very strong growth of 7.8% was achieved in the doctors segment, which translated into market share gains.
- Health Supply AG, a joint venture with Planzer, developed according to plan in 2024. Galexis was able to reduce complexity by bundling outsourced services.
- HCI Solutions performed well. By the end of December 2024, around 369 million CDS checks had been carried out (+33%) – an essential contribution to patient safety.
Key figures for the Galenica Group for 2024
| (in CHF million) | 2024 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net sales | |||
| Products & Care segment | 1,700.2 | 1,635.6 | 3.9% |
| Retail (B2C) | 1,442.0 | 1,385.6 | 4.1% |
| Local pharmacies | 1,365.1 | 1,306.9 | 4.4% |
| Pharmacies at home | 77.3 | 78.9 | -2.1% |
| Professionals (B2B) | 268.2 | 256.1 | 4.7% |
| Products and brands | 183.4 | 177.1 | 3.5% |
| Services for professionals | 84.8 | 78.9 | 7.5% |
| Logistics & IT segment | 3,241.4 | 3,077.0 | 5.3% |
| Wholesale | 3,105.2 | 2,952.7 | 5.2% |
| Logistics &IT services | 157.2 | 144.0 | 9.2% |
| Corporate and eliminations | -1,020.6 | -966.6 | |
| Galenica Group | 3,921.1 | 3,746.0 | 4.7% |
| EBIT adjusted1 | |||
| Products & Care segment1 | 157.3 | 152.3 | 3.2% |
| Logistics & IT segment1 | 56.8 | 42.3 | 34.2% |
| Corporate and eliminations | -3.1 | -3.3 | |
| Galenica Group1 | 211.0 | 191.3 | 10.3% |
| Net profit from continuing operations adjusted1 | 183.2 | 161.6 | 13.4% |
1Excluding the effects of IFRS 16 and IAS 19
Strengthening nationwide healthcare in Switzerland
In the 2024 financial year, the number of pharmacies grew by 10 to a total of 376 locations. Galenica strengthened its presence in the Bernese Oberland and Ticino regions in particular, thus making an important contribution to nationwide pharmaceutical supply in Switzerland.
Pharmacies continued to play an increasingly important role in low-threshold healthcare in 2024. Galenica pharmacies provided 193,000 fee-based consultations, which is 39% more than in the previous year. 40 pharmacies in the network now offer the “Consultation plus” service, which provides sound advice on acute health problems. With regard to digitisation, preparations were made in the reporting year for the roll-out of the Prescription Manager for all pharmacy formats.
Focus in 2025
Galenica will further expand cost-effective access to healthcare services. The new digital Prescription Manager has been available since February 2025 and offers customers the option of digitally managing, viewing and re-ordering their repeat prescriptions and prescription medications. From spring 2025, a further 25 pharmacies, including Sun Store pharmacies for the first time, will offer in-pharmacy consultations under the “Consultation plus” banner. Cooperation with digital healthcare platforms will also continue apace.
Increasing demand for home care services
Galenica continued to grow in the home care sector in 2024. Services for retirement and nursing homes as well as home care organisations include blister packaging of medications by Medifilm, automated ordering and billing of consumables and care products via the Lifestage Solutions platform, clinical nutrition by Bichsel and mobile home doctors by Emeda. In 2024, the process of bundling the entire home care business even more efficiently began. Capacity at Medifilm was expanded last year with the commissioning of two new blister packaging machines and, as in the previous year, the number of patients increased by 10%. Medifilm also gained 50 new institutional clients.
Focus in 2025
Galenica is aiming for further growth in the home care market. In the future, Lifestage Solutions’ digital platform will serve as a continuous gateway for all products and services for specialists within care organisations. To this end, the various home care offerings will be further connected and more capacity added. The trend towards more outpatient care will impact demand for combined home care services.
Greater efficiency in logistics
In 2024, Galenica further developed and optimised its logistics offering and digital ordering process in “Wholesale”. New interface software allows doctors to place orders to Pharmapool and Galexis without changing system. The joint venture with Planzer, Health Supply, also performed well in 2024 and already employs around 200 people. Galexis was able to reduce complexity by bundling services that had previously been outsourced to different transport service providers.
Focus in 2025
The transition to the new ERP system at Galexis continued in the reporting year. The introduction of the warehouse management module at the Lausanne-Ecublens site at the start of March 2025 marked an important milestone, enabling Galexis to make products available for Western Switzerland much more quickly in future. The project is expected to be completed with the system roll-out at the Niederbipp site in 2026.
E-prescriptions can be filled at all Galenica pharmacies
As a private-sector competence partner, HCI Solutions is involved in the development of national e-prescriptions and is driving their adaptation. Since 2024, e-prescriptions can be verified via Pharmavista. The platform is a user-friendly way to import and verify e-prescriptions, making it easier for healthcare professionals to review and process prescriptions. Since the end of 2024, both independent pharmacies and all Galenica pharmacies have been able to use it to fill e-prescriptions.
With its Documedis® software platform, HCI Solutions is also making an important contribution to increasing patient safety. By the end of December, around 369 million CDS checks had been carried out on the HCI Solutions platform (+33%).
Focus in 2025
A key strategic initiative is the Galenica digital medication journey. The aim is to link digital solutions to create a seamless process, from the doctor and other healthcare providers, all the way to the pharmacy and the patient. This also includes easily issuing e-prescriptions, dispensing them in the pharmacy and providing a transparent overview of current prescriptions. Additionally, it allows patients to conveniently order or re-order their medication.
Further information can be found in the 2024 Annual Report.
| Media and analyst conference at 10:30 a.m. Galenica will host its media and analysts conference on the 2024 annual results today, Tuesday, 11 March 2025, at 10.30 a.m. (Central European Time, CET). The conference will be held as a hybrid event. If you are unable to attend in person, you can follow the conference via webcast in German or English. Questions can also be asked via the webcast. The conference will be held in German. The documentation will be available on the website from 10 a.m. on 11 March 2025. The recording will be available at http://www.galenica.com after the conference. |