Rapid Rx growth: Gesund.de challenges Shop Apotheke

Gesund.de launched its own CardLink process in July 2024, slightly later than mail-order companies Doc Morris and Shop Apotheke , which launched in April and May, respectively. However, by the summer, local pharmacies were also connected to CardLink, and other providers subsequently followed suit.

Although in the Pharmacy redeemed most e-prescriptions by inserting the electronic health card (eGK). However, the CardLink process, which allows insured persons to redeem prescriptions from home using their smartphone and eGK, has also significantly accelerated transaction volume on the platform.

For example, Gesund.de's external sales in the third quarter of 2024 were still at €24.7 million, but already at €57.3 million in the final quarter of 2024. In the first three months of 2025, pharmacy sales via Gesund.de continued to climb to €83.4 million, and from April to June, the €100 million mark was broken. This corresponds to an increase of 19.8 percent compared to Q1.

With these figures, Gesund.de doesn't shy away from comparisons with the major mail-order companies. Shop Apotheke, for example, increased its prescription drug business in Germany by only 5.6 percent from Q1 to Q2. Even in absolute terms, the industry leader among mail-order companies is now within sight: Shop Apotheke generated €114 million in sales of prescription drugs in Germany in the second quarter.

competitor DocMorris hasn't yet published its current quarterly figures, but its prescription business has recently performed significantly worse than Shop Apotheke's. It's quite possible that the Gesund.de pharmacies have even overtaken DocMorris.

Broken down to individual pharmacies, these figures represent an average Rx sales of €19,600 in the second quarter. According to the platform, the Rx external sales were verified and validated by a renowned auditing firm.

For the current year, Gesund.de forecasts external Rx sales of more than €400 million. By comparison, Shop Apotheke has set a target of €500 million – with considerably greater marketing expenditure. "I am proud that we are advancing digital healthcare together with local pharmacies," says Peter Schreiner, CEO of Gesund.de.

Maximilian Achenbach, Managing Director of Marketing, Product & Technology, adds: "We set out to support pharmacies in their digital transformation – and the figures prove it: We are living up to our claim to challenge international mail-order companies and ensure pharmacies' digital access to patients."

Gesund.de was founded as a joint venture in early 2021. Wholesaler Phoenix has now taken over the leading role among the shareholders, with Noventi, Wort & Bild Verlag, BD Rowa, and Sanacorp also on board.