Who we are

Profarma Group is one of the largest players in the health sector in Brazil, acting in Distribution and Retail, in order to satisfy all audiences: shareholders, industries, pharmacies, hospitals and costumers.

Founded in 1961 by Manoel Birmarcker, the Group began its activities as Profarma Distributor of Pharmaceutical Products. In 2013, started in retail with the acquisition of the Drogasmil, Farmalife and Drogarias Tamoio brands. In 2016, Rede Rosário was acquired, the leading retailer in the Midwest of Brazil. In 2014, it consolidated its Specialty Unit with the creation of the Joint Venture Profarma Specialty with AmerisourceBergen Corporation. In 2021, sold Profarma Specialty, ending its operations in the Specialties segment. Currently, the Group operates in the Distribution and Retail segments, and has three exclusive product brands: No. 21, GOnutri and Bem Básico.

  1. 1961

    We started our operations in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in a small office in the center of the capital, easily accessible to the northern and southern areas of the city, where the main drugstore chains were located.

  2. 1970

    In the 1970s, we began the process of expanding our activities and expanding our corporate headquarters. It was also a period of strong growth in number of customers. We established partnerships and joint initiatives with major pharmaceutical industries such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche and Aché.

  3. 1997

    We completed the automation process for picking at our Rio de Janeiro State Distribution Center.

  4. 1999

    We made the strategic acquisition of a wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical products in the state of São Paulo, KF Distribuidora, which had two Distribution Centers – one in the capital, and another in the city of São Carlos.

  5. 2002

    We began to operate in the Specialty segment, supplying pharmaceutical and hospital products to private clinics and hospitals.

  6. 2004

    We started operating in the Northeast region of the country with the inauguration of a Distribution Center in Salvador, in the state of Bahia.

  7. 2005

    In order to increase our product mix and capture synergies between our businesses, we began distributing vaccines through our subsidiary Promovac.

  8. 2006

    On October 26, we made the Company’s Initial Public Offering (IPO), with gross funding of R$401 million. We were pioneers in the Brazilian pharmaceutical segment as the Company’s shares began to be traded on B3.

    The Profarma Institute of Social Responsibility was created in order to assist vulnerable children and teenagers through support to charitable institutions in the Profarma Group’s areas of activity.

  9. 2007

    Expanding our area of ​​operation, we inaugurated two Distribution Centers in Northeast Brazil, in the states of Pernambuco and Ceará. We also acquired Dimper, a distributor in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, with 11 DCs in 10 states.

  10. 2011

    As a way to strengthen our Specialty area, we acquired 60% of Prodiet Pharmaceuticals, a distribution company in the hospital segment, based in Curitiba, Paraná.

  11. 2013

    Following the Company’s strategic plan, we entered the pharmaceutical retail, with the acquisition of three chains: Drogasmil, Farmalife and Tamoio, all of them in Rio de Janeiro. Therefore, we consolidated a new positioning of Grupo Profarma, as one of the largest players in the health sector in Brazil. In the same year, we acquired the remaining 40% of Prodiet Pharmaceuticals.

  12. 2014

    We entered into a strategic partnership with AmerisourceBergen Corporation – one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical and service providers. We made a capital increase in the amount of R$187 million.

  13. 2016

    d1000 Retail Farma was established consolidating the retail division of Profarma Group. We expanded our retail area with the acquisition of Drogaria Rosário, a relevant brand in the Midwest of Brazil (Distrito Federal, Goiás, Tocantins and Mato Grosso). At the end of July that year, aiming to strengthen the Company’s capital structure, we approved a capital increase of R $ 140 million.

  14. 2017

    We made a capital increase of R$100 million with the purpose of supporting the strong growth and new composition of the Company.

  15. 2018

    In order to strengthen the capital structure, through working capital investment and debt reduction, we made a new capital increase: R $ 333 million.

  16. 2020

    With the objective of accelerating the organic expansion of our store platform and deleveraging the Group, we carried out the IPO of d1000 retail farma in August, raising R$400 million and we became part of a select group of Brazilian companies with more than one publicly traded company.

  17. 2021

    • We celebrate the 60th anniversary of Profarma Group, founded in 1961.
    • In line with our growth strategy, we carried out the expansion of the Distribution Center located in the state of Rio de Janeiro and inaugurated a Distribution Center in the Federal District.
    • In August 2021, Profarma, jointly with AmerisourceBergen Corporation, celebrated the sale of the equity interest in Cannes RJ Participações S.A. (“Cannes”), holding company that holds equity interest in operating companies in the specialties segment, for CM HOSPITALAR S.A.

  18. 2022

    • We expanded the Pernambuco Distribution Center and inaugurated another Distribution Center in the state of São Paulo. Thus, we have 14 DCs throughout Brazil, serving 90% of the consumer market.
    • Profarma entered into an Investment Agreement and Other Covenants, whereby it committed to acquire a stake corresponding to 10% of the share capital of Health Meds Medicamentos do Brasil Ltda., via a private capital increase, subject to the verification of the Conditions Precedent.