Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA is a
health care company based in
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe () is the district town of the Hochtaunuskreis, Hesse, on the southern slope of the Taunus mountains. Bad Homburg is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. The town's official name is ''Bad Homburg v.d.Höhe'', w ...
, Germany. It provides products and services for
dialysis, in hospitals and inpatient and outpatient medical care. It is involved in hospital management and in engineering and services for medical centers and other health care facilities.
The company is ranked 258th on the
Forbes Global 2000.
In March 2022 it announced plans to merge with InterWell Health and Cricket Health to form a new company, which will operate under the InterWell Health brand, focused on services for the earlier stages of kidney disease.
Operations
There are four divisions:
*
Fresenius Medical Care, a publicly traded company of which Fresenius owns 30.8%, focuses on patients with chronic kidney failure. With a North American headquarters in
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, ...
, it has a 38%
market share of the dialysis market in the United States.
* Fresenius Helios is the largest hospital operator and provider of inpatient and outpatient in Germany. The Helios Kliniken has more than 110
hospitals
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
and more than 30,000 beds, treating over 4 million patients annually.
* Fresenius Kabi is a supplier of essential drugs, clinical nutrition products, and
medical device
A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...
s. It produces generic versions of
intravenous oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''à ...
products such as
Paclitaxel
Paclitaxel (PTX), sold under the brand name Taxol among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes ovarian cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma, cervical canc ...
,
Irinotecan
Irinotecan, sold under the brand name Camptosar among others, is a medication used to treat colon cancer, and small cell lung cancer. For colon cancer it is used either alone or with fluorouracil. For small cell lung cancer it is used with cisp ...
,
Oxaliplatin,
Gemcitabine
Gemcitabine, with brand names including Gemzar, is a chemotherapy medication. It treats cancers including testicular cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and bladder cancer. It is administered by ...
,
Cytarabine
Cytarabine, also known as cytosine arabinoside (ara-C), is a chemotherapy medication used to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is given by i ...
,
Carboplatin
Carboplatin, sold under the trade name Paraplatin among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a number of forms of cancer. This includes ovarian cancer, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, brain cancer, and neuroblastoma. It is used b ...
,
Topotecan,
Docetaxel
Docetaxel (DTX or DXL), sold under the brand name Taxotere among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes breast cancer, head and neck cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer and non-small-cell ...
, and
Epirubicin
Epirubicin is an anthracycline drug used for chemotherapy. It can be used in combination with other medications to treat breast cancer in patients who have had surgery to remove the tumor. It is marketed by Pfizer under the trade name Ellence in ...
.
* Fresenius Vamed develops and manages
health care facilities.
Structure
* Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA
**
Fresenius Medical Care
*** NxStage Medical, Inc.
** Fresenius Helios
*** Helios Kliniken GmbH
**** Humaine Kliniken
**** IDC Salud Holding S.L.U. (Quirónsalud)
**** Damp Group
** Fresenius Kabi AG
*** Labesfal SA
*** Fresenius Kabi Oncology Plc
*** Dabur Pharma Ltd
*** APP Pharmaceuticals, Inc
*** Fenwal Holdings, Inc.
** Fresenius Vamed
*
Calea UK
Calea UK is a supplier of parenteral nutrition based in Runcorn, part of Fresenius Kabi.
In July 2019 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency imposed restrictions on the company following an inspection which it said had revealed ...
History
The company was founded by
Eduard Fresenius in 1912.
In 1946, Fresenius died. Else Kröner, his foster-daughter and protégée, who was still in pharmacy school at the time, inherited the company. Else Kröner rescued the company from significant debts by laying off the majority of staff and restructuring the business. Kröner died in 1988. Kröner's will left all of her assets to the
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Foundation, which funds medical research.
In 1966, the company began to sell
dialysis machines.
[
In 1982, the company converted to a joint stock company.][
In 1983, the company began producing ]polysulfone
Polysulfones are a family of high performance thermoplastics. These polymers are known for their toughness and stability at high temperatures. Technically used polysulfones contain an aryl- SO2-aryl subunit. Due to the high cost of raw material ...
fiber membranes.[
In 1986, the company became a ]public company
A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange ( ...
, listing shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
The Frankfurt Stock Exchange (german: link=no, Börse Frankfurt, former German name – FWB) is the world's 12th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. It has operations from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm ( German time).
Organisation
Loca ...
.[
In 1996, the company merged its dialysis business into National Medical Care to form Fresenius Medical Care.][
In 1999, the company acquired the international nutrition business of ]Pharmacia & Upjohn
Pharmacia & Upjohn was a global pharmaceutical company formed by the merger of Sweden-based Pharmacia AB and the American company Upjohn in 1995. Today the remainder of the company is owned by Pfizer. In 1997, Pharmacia & Upjohn sold several bra ...
and merged it with Fresenius Pharma to form Fresenius Kabi.[
In 2001, the company acquired Wittgensteiner Kliniken, a major operator of private hospitals in Germany.][
In 2005, the company acquired Helios.][
In March 2005, Fresenius Kabi AG acquired Labesfal (Laboratório de Especialidades Farmacêuticas Almiro S.A.).
In September 2006, Helios Kliniken acquired a majority stake in Humaine Kliniken. HUMAINE operates six acute and post acute care hospitals in the fields of neurology, oncology and traumatology.
On July 16, 2007, the company completed its conversion from an ]Aktiengesellschaft
(; abbreviated AG, ) is a German word for a corporation limited by share ownership (i.e. one which is owned by its shareholders) whose shares may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland (where it is equi ...
(AG - German public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
limited company) to a Societas Europaea
A ''societas Europaea'' (, ; "European society" or "company"; plural: ; abbr. SE) is a public company registered in accordance with the corporate law of the European Union (EU), introduced in 2004 with the Council Regulation on the Statute f ...
, the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
-wide equivalent. The company changed its legal status once again on January 28, 2011, becoming a Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien
A limited partnership (LP) is a form of partnership similar to a general partnership except that while a general partnership must have at least two general partners (GPs), a limited partnership must have at least one GP and at least one limited ...
(KGaA - German partnership limited by shares) with a ''Societas Europaea
A ''societas Europaea'' (, ; "European society" or "company"; plural: ; abbr. SE) is a public company registered in accordance with the corporate law of the European Union (EU), introduced in 2004 with the Council Regulation on the Statute f ...
'' as a partner with unlimited liability (SE & Co. KGaA).
In August 2008, Fresenius Kabi acquired 73.3% of Dabur Pharma of India.
In September 2008, Fresenius Kabi acquired APP Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
In October 2011, the company agreed to acquire 51% of the share capital in Katholisches Klinikum Duisburg hospital.
Also in October 2011, Helios Kliniken acquired 94.7% of the share capital in Damp Group.
In September 2013, Fresenius acquired 41 hospitals from Rhön-Klinikum for €3.07 billion. In 2014, Fresenius sold its 5% stake in Rhön-Klinikum.
In November 2014, the company announced that its Russian partners, Sistema and Zenitco Finance Management, agreed to terminate their joint venture agreement that had been established in April 2014. The termination was prompted by changing political and regulatory circumstances in the region.
In January 2016, Fresenius Kabi announced that it would acquire Becton Dickinson
Becton, Dickinson and Company, also known as BD, is an American multinational medical technology company that manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems, and reagents. BD also provides consulting and analytics services in certai ...
's prescription drug business.
In February 2016, Fresenius Helios acquired the municipal hospital in Velbert
Velbert ( Low Rhenish: ''Vèlbed'') is a town in the district of Mettmann, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The town is renowned worldwide for the production of locks and fittings.
Geography
Velbert is located on the hills of 'Niede ...
, North Rhine-Westphalia.
In January 2017, Fresenius acquired the largest Spanish hospital group, the Grupo Hospitalario Quirónsalud for €5.76 billion and merged it into the Helios Group, establishing the biggest hospital group of Europe.
In September 2017, Fresenius Kabi acquired Merck KGaA
The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and present in 66 countries. The group includes around 250 companies; the ma ...
's biosimilar
A biosimilar (also known as follow-on biologic or subsequent entry biologic) is a biologic medical product that is almost an identical copy of an original product that is manufactured by a different company. Biosimilars are officially approved v ...
s business.
In February 2019, Fresenius Medical Care acquired NxStage, a US-based maker of in-home dialysis devices, for $2 billion.
Fresenius Kabi is a supplier of 0.9% sodium chloride Injection USP diluent for use with the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine ( INN: tozinameran), sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech. For its development, BioNTech collaborated with Amer ...
.
Controversies
Concerns of use of hydroxyethyl starch and threats against researcher
In 2012, a paper was published raising concerns regarding the use of hydroxyethyl starch
Hydroxyethyl starch (HES/HAES), sold under the brand name Voluven among others, is a nonionic starch derivative, used as a volume expander in intravenous therapy. The use of HES on critically ill patients is associated with an increased risk of ...
in sepsis
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
. Fresenius Kabi, which makes the product, threatened legal action against the main author, Danish scientist Anders Perner.
Supply of faulty insulin syringes
In 2015, Fresenius Kabi Group pleaded guilty to breaches of United Kingdom's Medicines Act 1968
The Medicines Act 1968 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom, more properly: An Act to make new provision with respect to medicinal products and related matters, and for purposes connected therewith. It governs the control of medicines for ...
and was fined £500,000 by the Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
Crown Court for supplying faulty insulin syringes containing no insulin, leading to the death of Neil Judge from diabetic ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus. Signs and symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, deep gasping breathing, increased urination, weakness, confusion and occasionally loss of ...
in 2010.
Bribery allegations
In 2019, the company paid $231 million to the United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United Stat ...
to settle allegations of civil bribery to obtain business in Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
, and Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
In January 2020, the '' Süddeutsche Zeitung'' reported on tricks used by the health care group Fresenius, according to a case study by the Steuerjustigkeit network. The study shows that it is by no means just US digital groups that are shifting their profits to low-tax countries and that Fresenius is trying to reduce the tax burden by legal means with the help of branches in so-called tax havens and subsidiaries. Tax avoidance is not a prohibited tax evasion.Jan Willmroth: Ärmer scheinen, reicher werden. Süddeutsche Zeitung
21. Januar 2020 (Ressort Wirtschaft).
References
Further reading
* Kamp, Michael / Neumann, Florian: Fresenius – 100 Years. Munich: August Dreesbach Verlag, 2012. .
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fresenius (company)
1912 establishments in Germany
Companies based in Hesse
German brands
Life sciences industry
Medical and health organisations based in Hesse
Medical technology companies of Germany
Multinational companies headquartered in Germany
Pharmaceutical companies of Germany
Pharmaceutical companies established in 1912
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe