Norsk Medisinaldepot AS is a

pharmaceutics Pharmaceutics is the discipline of pharmacy that deals with the process of turning a new chemical entity (NCE) or old drugs into a medication to be used safely and effectively by patients. It is also called the science of dosage form design. The ...

and healthcare products

wholesaler Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In g ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It also operates the

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

chains

Vitusapotek Vitusapotek is a chain of 300 pharmacies in Norway owned and run by Norsk Medisinaldepot, a subsidiary of McKesson Europe. The pharmacy chain is based in Oslo, and is the second largest in Norway, after Apotek1. The chain was established in 2 ...

and the

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

chain

Ditt Apotek Ditt Apotek is a chain of 80 pharmacies owned and run by independent pharmacists on franchise from Norsk Medisinaldepot, a subsidiary of McKesson Europe. The chain is the fourth largest, and thus smallest, in Norway. The chain was established in ...

. NMD is part of the

Celesio McKesson Europe AG (formerly Celesio AG, previously Gehe AG), with its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, is a leading international wholesale and retail company and provider of logistics and services in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sect ...

group and has a total of 185 pharmacies in Norway. The company is based in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

History

NMD was created on November 1, 1957 as a

government agency A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an administrati ...

that functioned as pharmaceutical wholesaler throughout Norway. It took over this responsibility from five private companies. In 1992 the company bought Apotekernes Fællesindkjøp, previously owned by the pharmacies and that had imported and wholesaled medical equipment. In 1995 two competitors entered the market:

Apokjeden Apotek 1 Gruppen AS is a Norwegian pharmacy wholesaler (''Apokjeden Distribusjon AS'') and retailer (Apotek 1) owned by German Phoenix Pharmahandel. It owns the largest pharmacy chain in Norway, Apotek 1. The company started a cooperation with a ...

(owned by Tamro) and

Alliance Boots Alliance Boots GmbH was a multinational pharmacy-led health and beauty group with corporate headquarters in Bern, Switzerland and operational headquarters in Nottingham and Weybridge, United Kingdom. The company had a presence in over 27 countr ...

. Two years later the

Storting The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...

decided to

privatize Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

NMD, and sold 17% to the Dutch Apothekers Coöperatie, and the state ownership was transferred from the

Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services (''Helse- og omsorgsdepartementet'') is a Norway, Norwegian government ministry in charge of health policy, public health, health care services, and health legislation in Norway. It is led by ...

to the

Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry (Norwegian: Nærings- og handelsdepartementet) was a Norwegian ministry responsible for business, trade and industry. On 1 January 2014 it was merged into Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. ...

. Also, the medical equipment subsidiary was sold to the Dutch company. In 1999 2% of the company was sold to 223 pharmacies throughout the country. On March 1, 2001 the new ''Pharmacy Act'' was established, allowing free establishment of pharmacies in Norway. At the same time the state decided to not have any ownership in NMD, and sold its part, along with the rest of the owners, to Celesio. After the

deregulation Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...

of market almost all pharmacies have been bought by the three wholesaler groups, and NMD created two subsidiaries, NMD Grossisthandel for wholesale and

to operate the pharmacies. In 2007 these were both merged with the mother company. {{Authority control Wholesalers of Norway Defunct government agencies of Norway Companies based in Oslo Business services companies established in 1957 Retail companies established in 1957 1957 establishments in Norway