Sykehusapotekene HF

What Sykehusapotekene HF does

Sykehusapotekene HF (SAHF) is a Norwegian state-owned health trust that operates 20 hospital pharmacies serving the Helse Sør-Øst health region in southeastern Norway. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Oslo (Biskop Gunnerus gate 14 A), it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Helse Sør-Øst RHF, itself owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services. The organization serves three core customer groups — hospital inpatients and outpatients, healthcare personnel within the hospitals, and the general public visiting pharmacy counters — and delivers prescription dispensing, patient counseling services (Medisinstart, Inhalasjonsveiledning), vaccination, pharmaceutical supervision, medication reviews, and training courses for healthcare staff. A 24/7 pharmacy operates at Oslo Aker.

The company's technology and service platform centers on specialized medication handling concepts rather than consumer retail. Core innovations include the Farmasitun concept (centralized pharmacy-managed medication storage, inventory, dose dispensing, and IV preparation replacing traditional ward medicine rooms), the closed medication loop (Lukket legemiddelsløyfe) with electronic unit-dose identification, machine-produced patient-labeled unit doses (pasientmerkede endoser), ready-to-use parenteral solutions, and an online pre-ordering portal. A dedicated Sykehusleveranser department handles approximately 470 delivery points at Oslo University Hospital with 20-25 daily truck routes, and centralized production at Ullevål covers cytostatica, sterile preparations, and patient-specific dosing. The technology roadmap is anchored in the 2018-2036 multi-phase "Fremtidens legemiddelhåndtering i OUS" program jointly run with Oslo University Hospital and Sykehusbygg.

The business model is managed services funded through the Norwegian public healthcare budget rather than direct patient billing; key patient-facing services such as inhalation guidance and Medisinstart are provided free of charge. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is via the 20 embedded hospital pharmacy sites, direct ward deliveries, the online ordering system, and centralized production delivered to hospital departments. The customer base consists entirely of public hospitals within the Helse Sør-Øst region — including Oslo universitetssykehus, Sykehuset Østfold, Sykehuset Innlandet, Sørlandet sykehus, Ahus, Vestre Viken, Sykehuset Telemark, Sykehuset i Vestfold, Diakonhjemmet, and Lovisenberg — making the organization effectively a captive in-house pharmacy function for its parent health authority. The managing director is Tore Prestegard and the organization employs between 501 and 1,000 people.

Name

Sykehusapotekene HF

Legal name

Sykehusapotekene HF

Website

https://sykehusapotekene.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Sykehusapotekene HF is a Norwegian state-owned health trust operating 20 hospital pharmacies across the Helse Sør-Øst region, providing prescription dispensing, clinical pharmacy services, patient counseling, and specialized medication production (cytostatica, sterile, patient-labeled unit doses) to public hospitals and their patients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospital Pharmacy Services

NAICS

Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611), General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (622110)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospital & Health-System Pharmacies (Inpatient/Outpatient) (HLAFALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medication Reconciliation & Skilled Medication Administration (Clinical) (HSABACAH), Long-Term Care (LTC) & Skilled Nursing Facility Pharmacies (HLAFALAF)

Keywords

• Hospital pharmacy services
• Clinical pharmacy
• Pharmaceutical preparation
• Medication management
• Prescription dispensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Healthcare Funding: As a state-owned healthcare enterprise (HF), Sykehusapotekene HF is funded through the Norwegian public healthcare system. The organization is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Helse Sør-Øst RHF, which is owned by the Ministry of Health and Care Services. Funding comes through the public healthcare budget allocations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sykehusapotekene HF operates 20 hospital pharmacies across southeastern Norway that dispense prescriptions, prepare and deliver medications (including cytostatica, sterile products, and patient-specific unit doses) to hospital wards and patients, and provide clinical pharmacy, pharmaceutical supervision, patient counseling, vaccination, and medication handling courses to hospitals, healthcare personnel, patients, and the general public.

Product overview

Sykehusapotekene HF operates as a unified hospital pharmacy network across 20 hospital pharmacies in Norway, providing a comprehensive range of pharmaceutical services. The core offerings include prescription dispensing, patient counseling services (Medisinstart, Inhalasjonsveiledning), vaccination, and pharmaceutical supervision for institutions. The company is pioneering innovative concepts like Farmasitun (a centralized pharmacy-managed medication handling concept) and patient-labeled dose bags (pasientmerkede endoser) to improve medication safety and efficiency. Additional services include 24-hour pharmacy access at Aker, medication courses for healthcare personnel, and medicine review services for nursing homes and home care.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inhalasjonsveiledning (Inhalation Guidance) Free counseling service for asthma or COPD patients where pharmacists guide them on proper inhaler technique to ensure optimal benefit from inhalation medication; takes less than ten minutes per session.
• Medisinstart (Medicine Start) Free pharmacist counseling service for patients starting new heart medications (blood pressure lowering, blood thinners, cholesterol-lowering statins). Consists of two follow-up conversations of about 15 minutes each, conducted 1-2 weeks and 3-5 weeks after starting the medication.
• Influensavaksinering (Influenza Vaccination) Influenza vaccination offered at all SAHF hospital pharmacies to anyone over 12 years of age, with prescriptions issued by the pharmacist on site where applicable.
• Klikk og hent / Bestilling av medisiner (Click and Collect / Medicine Ordering) Online pre-ordering service allowing patients to request that their medicine and other items be prepared in advance of arrival at the SAHF hospital pharmacy, reducing wait times on pickup.
• Farmasøytisk tilsyn (Pharmaceutical Supervision) Evaluation of medication handling at healthcare institutions. Provides quality assurance and internal control of medication handling practices for nursing homes, home care services, and housing for persons with disabilities or psychiatric conditions.
• Legemiddelgjennomgang med farmasøyt (Medicine Review with Pharmacist) Systematic medication review service for patients in nursing homes, home care services, and housing for mentally disabled and psychiatric patients, delivered as interdisciplinary collaboration between doctor, nurse, and pharmacist.
• Kursing (Course Services) Medication handling courses for healthcare personnel and others who may distribute medicines, including basic medication handling courses, medication courses for nurses, and specialized courses for kindergartens and schools.
• Døgnåpent sykehusapotek ved Aker (24-hour Hospital Pharmacy at Aker) 24-hour hospital pharmacy located at the emergency clinic at Aker in Oslo. Open 365 days a year for everyone needing medicines during the day, evening, and night.
• Farmasitun Centralized pharmaceutical service concept where pharmacy staff perform specialized medication handling tasks in the hospital (replacing traditional medicine rooms), including pharmacy-managed medication storage, coordination and quality assurance, inventory control, tray laying, and preparation of intravenous medications.
• Pasientmerkede endoser (Patient-Labeled Dose Bags) Automated, machine-prepared patient-labeled medication dose bags for oral medications, produced by hospital pharmacy to ensure safer medication handling — implemented at Sykehusapoteket Drammen and adopted by Sykehuset Østfold.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced medication handling errors through closed medication loop systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Helse Sør-Øst RHFcoreOthersParent organization and regional health authority. Sykehusapotekene HF is a wholly-owned subsidiary (datterselskap) of Helse Sør-Øst. The organization is state-owned with Helse Sør-Øst RHF owned by the Ministry of Health and Care Services.
• Oslo Universitetssykehus HF (OUS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor collaborative partnership for medication supply and handling. Together developing future medication handling concepts including Farmasitun, closed medication loops, and patient-specific dosing. Joint project 'Fremtidens legemiddelhåndtering i OUS' (2018-2036) to plan future medication supply and handling.
• Sykehusbygg (Helse Sør-Øst Prosjektorganisasjon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilding development partner responsible for planning, implementing, and managing building projects for new hospital facilities including the pharmacy spaces and medication handling infrastructure.
• Sykehuspartner HFmajorTechnology or IntegrationProvider of operational services and project deliveries, as well as setting premises for ICT infrastructure including cabling, networking, security, and ICT platform. Ensures solutions and deliveries are coordinated with project schedules.
• LIS (Legemiddelinnkjøpssamarbeid)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrug procurement collaboration responsible for the tender process for medications, nutritional preparations, and fluids. Most hospitals in Norway participate in LIS.
• Sjukehusapoteka VestminorOthersOne of three other regional hospital pharmacy enterprises in Norway outside Helse Sør-Øst.
• Sykehusapotekene i Midt-NorgeminorOthersOne of three other regional hospital pharmacy enterprises in Norway outside Helse Sør-Øst.
• Sykehusapotekene i Nord / Davvi buohcceviessoapotehkaminorOthersOne of three other regional hospital pharmacy enterprises in Norway outside Helse Sør-Øst.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Boots UK (Walgreens Boots Alliance): Large pharmacy and health services retailer in the UK with significant hospital pharmacy and clinical services exposure; a broad-incumbent peer to Sykehusapotekene's hospital-pharmacy-plus-counseling model.
• PHOENIX Group: Europe's largest pharmaceutical distributor operating ~140 distribution centers and ~17,000 pharmacies across 27 countries; a broad-incumbent peer whose hospital pharmacy and wholesale operations overlap with Sykehusapotekene's pharmacy network and ward delivery model.
• Alliance Healthcare (Walgreens Boots Alliance): European pharmaceutical wholesaler and pre-wholesaler serving pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics; provides comparable medicine distribution and clinical support services that mirror Sykehusapotekene's enterprise supply function.
• Apotek Hjärtat (ICA Gruppen): Sweden's largest pharmacy chain and a major retail pharmacy brand within the ICA ecosystem; comparable to Sykehusapotekene's 20 hospital pharmacy locations as a frontline pharmacy network providing patient counseling and dispensing.
• Oriola Corporation (incl. Svenska Apotek / Kronans Apotek): Nordic healthcare distributor and pharmacy operator combining pharma wholesale (Oriola) with a major Swedish pharmacy chain; comparable to Sykehusapotekene HF in providing integrated pharmaceutical distribution plus dispensing services across multiple Nordic geographies.
• Tamro (PHOENIX Group subsidiary): Nordic pharmaceutical wholesale distributor owned by the German PHOENIX Group; comparable to Sykehusapotekene's Sykehusleveranser distribution function in supplying medicines to hospitals, pharmacies, and healthcare providers across the Nordics.
• NHS Pharmaceutical Services (Lloyds Pharmacy / Well Pharmacy): UK pharmacies with hospital and clinical pharmacy arms serving the National Health Service, comparable to Sykehusapotekene in delivering pharmacy-plus-clinical-services to a publicly funded healthcare system.

Direct peers

• Sykehusapotekene i Nord / Davvi buohcceviessoapotehka: Regional hospital pharmacy enterprise serving northern Norway (Helse Nord). Operates under the same national model of state-owned hospital pharmacies and is explicitly identified in Sykehusapotekene HF's source data as a peer regional partner.
• Sykehusapotekene i Midt-Norge HF: One of Norway's three other regional hospital pharmacy enterprises (alongside Vest and Nord), serving the Helse Midt-Norge region. Provides the same combined dispensing, production, and clinical pharmacy services model in central Norway.
• Sjukehusapoteka Vest HF: State-owned regional hospital pharmacy enterprise serving Helse Vest in western Norway; structurally identical business to Sykehusapotekene HF — operating hospital pharmacies providing dispensing, production, and clinical pharmacy services — but in a separate health region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Sykehusapotekene HF