Health promotion

For us, health promotion means being the initial point of contact for health advice for everyone. In addition to the provision of medication and treatment advice, this also includes healthcare services – easily accessible and affordable, whether in pharmacies, digitally or at home. Digital solutions such as healthcare apps or connected healthcare platforms can strengthen personalised healthcare advice in this regard and thus complement existing services in a meaningful way.

Our objectives

We strive to guarantee low-threshold access to healthcare services throughout Switzerland. We currently measure this target based on the number of healthcare services provided in pharmacies.

Our management approach

Particularly in view of the ageing population, preventive health care and prevention are important measures to promote the well-being and health of the Swiss population. With our wide range of healthcare services and a broad product range, we create added value for customers and partners. A key aspect of this is providing high-quality and interesting services – whether in person at the pharmacy, digitally or at home. This is centrally anchored in our strategy with the fields of action “Added value in the network” and “Shaping the future”.

The range of healthcare services provided by pharmacies can be divided into the following categories.

• Acute symptoms: Customers with acute symptoms receive the necessary advice from the pharmacy and, if necessary, the appropriate medication, including prescription medication. Advice is straightforward and cost-effective and helps patients to recover.
• Vaccinations: Vaccination is another approach to health promotion. In addition to flu and tick vaccinations, in many cantons other vaccinations such as tetanus, whooping cough and shingles can also be administered at pharmacies. In all cases, the suitability of the vaccine is clarified and advice given prior to vaccination. Companies are also showing ever more interest in the option of getting flu vaccines in pharmacies. In 2025, we were able to establish partnerships with more than 120 companies that offer free flu vaccinations to their workforce as part of their health initiatives. Thanks to Documedis^® Vaccination and Vac Check from HCI Solutions, pharmacies can document vaccinations digitally and check vaccination status electronically. On this basis, clients can be provided with comprehensive advice and recurring vaccination appointments can be scheduled.
• Prevention: Pharmacies in the Galenica network offer various preventive checks in this area – including HerzCheck^® (CardioTest), blood pressure and blood sugar measurements as well as allergy tests. The results are discussed directly in person so that customers can be provided with targeted advice and referred if necessary.

The range of healthcare services is subject to continuous development. This goes hand in hand with further training for specialist staff, with measures to promote awareness of the services offered and with investments in discreet consultation zones.

Pharmacies as the first point of contact

Pharmacies have recently become a key pillar of basic healthcare in Switzerland. In Switzerland, a pharmacy supplies an average of around 5,000 inhabitants, making it the first and most frequent point of contact for many people when it comes to health topics. This proximity to the population is a great strength. This is because the more concerns that can be resolved at the pharmacy, the greater the relief for the entire system – from family doctor practices to emergency wards. This is also increasingly being recognised by policymakers, which is why pharmacies have been given additional competencies in recent years.

We therefore invested at an early stage in the transformation from pure product sales and dispensing medications to advice and healthcare services.

“Consultation plus” is one of the keys to customer enthusiasm – and to value creation. It is a holistic communication and positioning concept for existing and future healthcare services.

“Consultation plus” is not a new service, but a holistic approach to developing and positioning healthcare services in Galenica pharmacies.

To strengthen the role of pharmacies as a central point of contact for health topics, Galenica is working on new care models and the customer experience in pharmacies. To this end, a new pharmacy concept is being developed that links advice, room design and digital support more closely. The first Amavita pharmacy based on the new concept was opened as a pilot in the reporting year. Here, we are gaining a lot of insights into customer behaviour, which will allow us to further develop the concept accordingly and redesign other pharmacies.

In order to strengthen the pharmacy as a central point of contact, especially for consultation and healthcare services, several communication measures were implemented in 2025. For example, patients’ digital journeys were optimised for finding information and booking appointments, and on-site communication efforts in pharmacies were also stepped up.

The figures show that there is strong demand among customers for both consultation and healthcare services. In the 2025 financial year, 368,000 fee-based advisory and service consultations were held in Galenica pharmacies, 28.7% more than in the previous year. The focus is on consultations for common health topics such as urinary tract infections, skin problems, conjunctivitis and erectile dysfunction.

Healthcare services

Cooperation for low-threshold and affordable access

Galenica relieves the burden on the healthcare system with straightforward and cost-effective consultation services provided directly in pharmacies. This is one of the reasons why we have succeeded in convincing health insurers in recent years to include pharmacies as entry-level partners in alternative insurance models – similar to the role of telemedicine or family doctors. Several of the largest health insurance companies are already among our cooperation partners and provide consultation and healthcare services as part of numerous insurance models. In the reporting year, for example, we were able to further develop our partnerships with Assura, GroupeMutuel, KPT and AXA. We will continue to pursue this approach in order to expand existing partnerships and enter into new ones.