Galenica posts strong sales growth in a challenging market environment

Press release
Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

• Galenica achieves sales growth of 7.3% to CHF 1,409.7 million in the first four months of 2026.
• The main driver is strong growth in the pharmacy business and wholesale.
• Positive momentum in the home care and diagnostics business areas contributed to the good start to the year.
• Its broadly diversified positioning allowed Galenica to cushion the seasonal decline in sales of cold and pain relief products.
• Galenica confirms its guidance for 2026 with expected sales growth of between 5% and 7% and EBIT¹ growth of 6% to 8%.

Galenica got 2026 off to a good start and achieved sales growth of 7.3% to CHF 1,409.7 million in the first four months. The main drivers were strong growth in the pharmacy market and the continuous increase in sales in the wholesale business. Very good performance was also seen in the home care business, which posted strong growth of 9.1% to CHF 41.9 million, as well as the “Diagnostics” sector, which contributed CHF 40.8 million to the increase in sales.

Julian Fiessinger, CFO of Galenica, sums up the sales result: “We are on track and confirm our outlook for 2026. We got the year off to a good start. We were able to achieve positive sales growth in a challenging market environment and further reduce our dependence on seasonal effects. This resulted in a strong sales result, even though the mild influenza season dampened demand for cold and flu medicines.”

Market share gains in bricks-and-mortar pharmacies

Galenica recorded total net sales of CHF 637.7 million in the “Products & Care” segment, a year-on-year increase of 11.6%. CHF 495.5 million of this (+6.9% excluding Coop Vitality and Mediservice) was attributable to the “Pharmacies Omni-Channel” business area, with the integration of the online drugstore Puravita contributing 1.7% to the increase in sales. As in the previous year, sustained strong demand for GLP-1-based weight loss products drove growth while also supporting increased sales in prescription-only medication.

Net growth of 2 pharmacies likewise had a positive impact on sales. The network now comprises a total of 383 locations (including Coop Vitality). Adjusted for the 1.2% expansion effect for inpatient pharmacies, the sector grew organically by 4.0%; taking into account the product mix (Rx and OTC products: +5.3%², non-drugs segment in the consumer healthcare market: +0.2%³), market share rose.

The further expansion of digital sales channels also contributed to the increase in sales. Both online sales as well as Click & Collect sales showed above-average growth rates. Demand for paid consultation and healthcare services is also continuing to increase: around 97,000 have already been carried out in the first four months, equivalent to an increase of around 35%, including over 14,000 vaccinations (+29%).

Consumer healthcare market remains competitive

The highly competitive Swiss market for over-the-counter healthcare products was flat year-on-year at +0.1%³ in the opening months of 2026. The “Products & Brands” business area declined by -12.9%, driven in particular by negative special factors in the international business with the continued reduction of inventories of Perskindol. This puts Galenica below the level of the market, due to its product mix. Sales of Verfora products in the Swiss pharmacy and drugstore market fell by -2.2% due to lower demand for cold and pain relief products.

Positive performance in home care and diagnostics

The “Services & Production” sector performed extremely positively and grew by a strong 9.1%. The Home Care segment, supported by Lifestage, Home Care Bichsel and Medifilm, was a key growth driver and remains a strategically important growth market. Following the acquisition of Labor Team in September 2025, the new “Diagnostics” business area contributed for the first time an additional CHF 40.8 million to the sales result in the first four months. Excluding this new business area, overall sales growth amounted to +4.2%. Labor Team is the fourth-largest private medical laboratory in Switzerland with a market share of around 8%.

Continuous growth for “Logistics & IT”

The “Logistics & IT” segment also performed positively in the first quarter of 2026 and generated net sales of CHF 1,110.2 million (+4.3%). The “Wholesale” sector grew by 4.4% to CHF 1,085.1 million. With growth of 1.5%, the physicians segment performed slightly below the market due to an adjustment to the offering; however, market share was gained in the high-volume pharmacy sector with growth of 6.0%. In the same period, the overall pharmaceutical market grew by 4.1%,² the physicians segment grew by 3.2%² and the bricks-and-mortar pharmacy segment grew by 5.3%².

Net sales in the “Logistics & IT Services” sector decreased slightly by 1.4% to CHF 25.9 million. HCI Solutions continues to make a major contribution to patient safety in Switzerland, registering 267 million CDS checks (+73%) on the Documedis® platform in the first four months.

2026 outlook confirmed

Galenica confirms its outlook for the 2026 financial year with sales growth of between 5% and 7%, EBIT¹ growth of between 6% and 8% and a dividend at least equal to the previous year’s level.

Net sales of the Galenica Group January–April 2026

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1 For definition see “Alternative performance measures” in the Annual Report 2025.

2 IQVIA, Pharmaceutical Market Switzerland, YTD April 2026.

3 IQVIA, Consumer Health Market Switzerland, YTD April 2026.

Dates for the diary
06 August 2026: Publication of Galenica Group half-year results 2026
22 October 2026: Galenica Group sales update
21 January 2027: Galenica Group sales update 2026

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Galenica: Switzerland’s leading healthcare network
The Galenica Group is Switzerland’s leading integrated healthcare network. With more than 20 companies, it is active along the entire healthcare value chain. The network includes the densest pharmacy network in Switzerland with over 380 locations, including the Amavita and Sun Store pharmacies and our partner Coop Vitality. Galenica is the market leader in wholesale and pharmaceutical logistics: one in two medication packs sold in Switzerland passes through Galexis and Alloga logistics. As the Swiss market leader, Verfora also develops and distributes its own healthcare products as well as the brands of business partners. The Galenica Group’s portfolio is supplemented by services in the home care sector, diagnostics and digital solutions for healthcare professionals. Galenica has more than 8,000 employees and generated net sales of CHF 4.1 billion in 2025. The shares of Galenica Ltd. (GALE) are listed on SIX Swiss Exchange. www.galenica.com.