ARZ

What ARZ does

ARZ (Apotheken-Rechen-Zentrum GmbH), founded in 1969 and headquartered in Darmstadt, is a German pharmacy service provider owned by four state pharmacist associations (Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Thuringia). The company processes over 8 million prescriptions per month for approximately 2,500 community pharmacies across Germany, handling more than €8 billion in annual billing volume with statutory health insurers. Its core service is end-to-end prescription billing and settlement — electronic and paper prescriptions are submitted via the proprietary FIVERX.LINK standard interface or physical collection, validated against rebate contracts in real time, and routed through Treuhandkonto trust accounts before disbursement to pharmacies. Around 80% of billing volume is now e-prescriptions, reflecting the successful 2022-2024 transition to digital processing.

ARZ's technology stack combines an in-house data center with redundant Banctec document readers, Telematik Infrastructure (Gematik) integrations, and proprietary software developed by its wholly-owned subsidiary CIDA Computerleistungen für Apotheken GmbH (founded 1982). The CORA and CIDAnova+ platforms provide inventory management, POS, e-prescription handling, TI-gateway, online-shop integration, and CardLink support. Supplementary modules include APOSCAN-Plus (in-pharmacy scanning), APOINFO-Plus (analytics), Retax-Verwaltung (retax case management), Zusatzprüfung Rabattvertrag (manual rebate verification), Steuerberater online (accountant portal), and Sofort-Geld (instant liquidity against receivables).

ARZ monetizes through three streams: per-prescription transaction fees for billing and settlement (the largest), recurring software subscriptions (CORA at €555/month, APOINFO-Plus at €10/month, APOSCAN-Plus at €19.90/month, Zusatzprüfung at €49/month), and trust-account-based payment processing spreads. It distributes via a regional field sales team, three inside-sales offices (Darmstadt, Oldenburg, Gera), industry events, and — as of January 2026 — a strategic partnership with LINDA AG covering the LINDA Premium Apotheken cooperative. The ARZ Darmstadt Gruppe comprises ARZ, CIDA, and M&P Menkens und Partner GmbH.

Name

ARZ

Legal name

Apotheken-Rechen-Zentrum GmbH

Website

https://arz-darmstadt.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ARZ Darmstadt is a German pharmacist-association-owned service company that processes over 8 million prescriptions monthly and provides billing, settlement, and proprietary pharmacy management software (CORA) for approximately 2,500 community pharmacies across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmacy Billing & Settlement Services

akta.pro primary industry

PBM Technology Platforms (ePA/eRx/Real-Time Benefit Tools) (HLAEAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pharmacy Information Systems (PIS) & Dispensing Workflow (HLACAKAC)

Keywords

• Prescription billing services
• Pharmacy management software
• E-prescription processing
• Retax management services
• Pharmacy billing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Darmstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Prescription billing and settlement fees: ARZ Darmstadt processes E-prescriptions and paper prescriptions for pharmacies, charging a fee per prescription or a contracted tariff. The company handles billing with statutory health insurers (Kostenträger) and ensures timely, precise payment to pharmacies. Volume: over 8 million prescriptions per month for approximately 2,500 pharmacies. The company also offers Sofort-Geld (instant money) as a liquidity option against future receivables.
2. Software subscriptions (CIDA products): CIDA, a wholly-owned subsidiary, generates revenue from CORA and CIDAnova+ pharmacy management software subscriptions. CORA is offered at €555 per month (excluding VAT) for unlimited workstations. Additional paid services include APOINFO-Plus (€10/month), APOSCAN-Plus (€19.90/month), and Zusatzprüfung Rabattvertrag (€49/month).
3. Treuhandkonto-based payment processing: Insurance payments from Kostenträger flow into trust accounts (Treuhandkonto), with ARZ deducting its billing fees before remitting to pharmacies. This trust-based payment structure is a core operational mechanism and revenue element.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ARZ Darmstadt is a pharmacy service provider that processes e-prescription and paper prescription billing and settlement for approximately 2,500 pharmacies across Germany, handling over 8 million prescriptions per month with a billing volume exceeding €8 billion annually. The company also develops and distributes the proprietary CORA pharmacy management and POS software through its CIDA subsidiary, and offers a suite of digital services (FIVERX.LINK, APOSCAN-Plus, APOINFO-Plus, Sofort-Geld, APOJET, APOCOLLECT) that span real-time validation, scanning, analytics, liquidity, and customer engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prescription Billing & Settlement (Rezeptabrechnung) End-to-end e-prescription and paper prescription billing and settlement service for German pharmacies. ARZ processes over 8 million prescriptions monthly for approximately 2,500 pharmacies, handling billing with statutory health insurers (Kostenträger) and ensuring timely payment via Treuhandkonto trust accounts, with fees charged per prescription or via contracted tariff.
• CORA by CIDA
• FIVERX.LINK Standard interface (registered trademark) enabling pharmacies to send prescription data from their pharmacy management system to ARZ for real-time validation of taxation accuracy and rebate contract compliance before dispensing, using Gematik-specified security technologies.
• APOSCAN-Plus In-pharmacy prescription scanning solution enabling pharmacies to scan prescriptions independently using a Fujitsu fi-series professional scanner and transmit images to ARZ for real-time processing and validation. Enables retax prevention while prescriptions are still in the pharmacy and provides a liquidity preview. Priced at €19.90/month (excl. VAT).
• APOINFO-Plus Online prescription statistics platform providing a 360-degree view of pharmacy operations, including prescription research, physician statistics, health insurance statistics, co-payment receipts, parenteralia evaluation, customer base analysis, import quotas, and administrative management. Priced at €10/month (excl. VAT), with bundled Retax-Verwaltung and Rabattprüfung services.
• Sofort-Geld (Instant Money) Individual liquidity service enabling pharmacies to receive immediate payment from ARZ rather than waiting for standard billing cycles, helping bridge liquidity gaps from high-price items or investments and enabling better wholesale purchasing conditions.
• APOJET App Mobile app for digital customer service and customer loyalty, enabling pharmacies to engage end customers and strengthen digital customer relationships.
• APOCOLLECT Digital prescription collection point service enabling improved pharmacy customer service in rural areas.
• Zusatzprüfung Rabattvertrag Optional post-processing service where ARZ staff manually verify whether the aut-id em Kreuz (substitution circle) is correctly assigned and whether a rebate contract applied to the dispensed article, with results displayed in ARZ Online Dienste. Priced at €49/month (excl. VAT) with a free one-month trial.
• Steuerberater online
• CIDAnova+ Pharmacy management and POS software product from CIDA (ARZ's wholly-owned subsidiary) for pharmacy operations, distributed alongside CORA.
• E-Prescription Billing (E-Rezept Abrechnung) Digital billing service for electronic prescriptions (E-Rezepte) under the German Telematik Infrastructure, including regular billing with Kostenträger and the FIVERX.LINK pre-dispensing validation interface.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8 million prescriptions processed per month with high accuracy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LINDA AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 January 2026ARZ Darmstadt and LINDA AG entered into a strategic partnership in January 2026. Both companies share a high standard for excellent consulting — delivered by people who understand the pharmacy daily routine. LINDA AG is a major pharmacy cooperative with Premium Apotheken across Germany. The partnership provides mutual customer referrals and aligned service quality standards. ARZ already serves approximately 3,000 pharmacy customers including numerous LINDA Premium Apotheken.
• CIDA Computerleistungen für Apotheken GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIDA is a 100% subsidiary of Apotheken-Rechen-Zentrum GmbH. CIDA develops and distributes CORA and CIDAnova+ pharmacy management software. CORA is the proprietary inventory management and POS system used by ARZ customers. CIDA is headquartered in Darmstadt with additional offices in Gera and Oldenburg. Software is developed entirely in Germany with pharmacists and IT architects collaborating on design.
• M&P Menkens und Partner GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerM&P Menkens und Partner GmbH is a service company of the ARZ Darmstadt Gruppe. Together with ARZ, M&P offers innovative solutions for secure prescription billing and reliable pharmacy management, providing a comprehensive service offering under the ARZ Darmstadt Gruppe umbrella.
• Sanacorp Pharmahandel GmbHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSanacorp organizes the Deutsche Apotheker Ski- und Langlaufmeisterschaft in Berchtesgaden, which ARZ Darmstadt sponsors and attends. This event provides networking opportunities with pharmacy owners across Germany, functioning as a GTM event for relationship building and brand visibility.
• Hessischer Apothekerverband e.V.coreOthersOne of four founding pharmacist associations that own ARZ Darmstadt. As a standeseigenes Unternehmen, ARZ is jointly owned by Hessischer Apothekerverband, Apothekerverband Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarländischer Apothekerverein, and Thüringer Apothekerverband. This ownership structure is a core part of ARZ's identity and competitive positioning.
• Apothekerverband Rheinland-Pfalz e.V.coreOthersOne of four founding pharmacist associations that own ARZ Darmstadt. ARZ is a standeseigenes Unternehmen jointly owned by this and three other state pharmacy associations.
• Saarländischer Apothekerverein e.V.coreOthersOne of four founding pharmacist associations that own ARZ Darmstadt. ARZ is a standeseigenes Unternehmen jointly owned by this and three other state pharmacy associations.
• Thüringer Apothekerverband e.V.coreOthersOne of four founding pharmacist associations that own ARZ Darmstadt. ARZ is a standeseigenes Unternehmen jointly owned by this and three other state pharmacy associations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• spectrumK GmbH: A leading German pharmacy billing center (Apothekenrechenzentrum) processing prescriptions and offering settlement services to pharmacies. Comparable as a direct competitor in the prescription billing space ARZ operates in.
• ADG Apotheken-Dienstleistungsgesellschaft mbH: German pharmacy IT services and software provider serving thousands of German pharmacies with management software and related services. Comparable to CIDA/ARZ's pharmacy software and services business.
• Noventi Group: Germany's largest pharmacy billing and software group, combining NARZ (Apothekenrechenzentrum), awinta (pharmacy software), and other healthcare payment services. Directly comparable as a competing Rechenzentrum with both billing services and pharmacy management software.
• CG Computerdienst GmbH: German pharmacy IT and services company providing software and billing-related solutions to local pharmacies. Comparable as another regional player serving the same pharmacy IT/billing customer segment.
• Pharmatechnik GmbH & Co. KG: German pharmacy management software vendor offering POS, inventory, and E-prescription solutions to retail pharmacies. Comparable as a competitor to ARZ's CIDA software products (CORA, CIDAnova+).

Broad incumbents

• CompuGroup Medical (CGM): Large European healthcare IT incumbent with pharmacy software (including Lauer-Fischer) and broader health-IT offerings. Comparable as a much larger, diversified competitor with overlapping pharmacy management and e-health capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arz-darmstadt-gruppe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ARZ