Distica
Distica hf. is an Icelandic B2B wholesale distributor of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare products, serving approximately 4,000 customers nationwide from temperature-controlled warehousing in Garðabær, operating as a Veritas subsidiary.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersGarðabær, Iceland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Distica does
Distica hf. is an Icelandic B2B wholesale distributor of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare products, operating as a subsidiary of Veritas. The company traces its heritage to Pharmaco hf., with over 60 years of history in Icelandic healthcare distribution, and was established as a standalone entity in 2007 when it was spun off from Vistor hf. It serves approximately 4,000 customers nationwide, processing more than 10,000 orders per month from a stocked inventory of roughly 10,000 units, drawn from a supplier network of more than 300 manufacturers and principals.
The company's core operations revolve around regulated warehousing, order fulfillment, and last-mile distribution from specialized temperature-controlled facilities in Garðabær. Distribution logistics combine an owned fleet serving the capital area with third-party carriers for rural Iceland, handling approximately 400 inbound shipments per month from manufacturers. Customer segments include healthcare providers (primary), veterinary practices, research laboratories, dental clinics, and retail outlets; the company also operates the "Mínar Síður" B2B portal for electronic ordering and a consumer-facing retail brand ("heilsa og lífstíll" / health and lifestyle).
The business model is a classic wholesale distribution model: Distica purchases in bulk from pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, holds inventory under regulated cold-chain storage, and resells at wholesale margins to B2B customers across healthcare and adjacent verticals. Revenue is generated per order/unit shipped with pharma-distribution economics (low-to-mid single-digit gross margins), supported by exclusive or preferred-principal arrangements, scale benefits in warehousing and route density, and stickiness derived from regulated customer relationships and integration into customer procurement via the B2B portal.
Distica firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Distica
- Legal name
- Distica hf.
- Website
- https://distica.is
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Distica hf. is an Icelandic B2B wholesale distributor of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare products, serving approximately 4,000 customers nationwide from temperature-controlled warehousing in Garðabær, operating as a Veritas subsidiary.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Distica industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pharmaceutical Wholesale Distribution
- NAICS
- Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (42421), Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (4242), Medical, Dental, and Hospital Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423450)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122), Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pharmacy Logistics, Returns, Reverse Distribution & Compliance Services (CRAOAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Warehousing (GDP-Compliant) (TLAIACAD), Medical Devices & Diagnostics Temperature-Controlled Storage (TLALABAH)
Keywords
Where Distica is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Garðabær
- HQ country
- Iceland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Distica business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Wholesale Distribution of Healthcare Products: Distica generates revenue through wholesale distribution of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare products to pharmacies, healthcare institutions, laboratories, veterinarians, and other healthcare providers across Iceland.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Orders under 30,000 ISK |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Orders over 30,000 ISK |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Expedited/Urgent Orders |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Distica product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Distica is a B2B wholesale distributor that imports, warehouses, and distributes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare products across Iceland. It operates specialized temperature-controlled warehouses in Garðabær holding approximately 10,000 units at any given time, and serves around 4,000 healthcare customers nationwide including pharmacies, hospitals, research laboratories, dental practices, and veterinary clinics. Its integrated service platform comprises Imports (Innflutningur), Warehousing (Vöruhús), and Distribution (Dreifing), supported by the Mínar Síður B2B customer portal.
Product overview
Distica is a leading healthcare product distribution company in Iceland offering a comprehensive platform for importing, warehousing, and distributing pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare products. The core platform consists of three integrated service lines: Import services (innflutningur), Warehousing (vöruhús) with specialized facilities in Garðabæ, and Distribution (dreifing) serving approximately 4,000 customers nationwide. The product portfolio encompasses prescription pharmaceuticals across multiple therapeutic categories, animal health products, medical and nursing supplies including surgical equipment and diagnostic devices, over-the-counter medicines, and research laboratory supplies. The company also provides a customer portal (Mínar Síður) enabling self-service ordering, invoice management, and order tracking.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Imports (Innflutningur) Procurement, import, customs clearance, and inventory management services for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and sensitive healthcare products sourced from international manufacturers for the Icelandic market.
- Warehousing (Vöruhús) Specialized temperature-controlled warehousing services for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare products at Distica's facilities in Garðabær, holding approximately 10,000 units at any given time.
- Distribution (Dreifing) Nationwide distribution of healthcare products to approximately 4,000 customers across Iceland, using Distica's own fleet in the capital area and third-party carriers (including Iceland Post) for rural areas, processing over 10,000 orders per month.
- Pharmaceuticals (Lyf) Prescription pharmaceutical products distributed across multiple therapeutic categories including cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic, anti-infective, and oncology drugs, supplied to pharmacies and healthcare institutions.
- Animal Health (Dýraheilbrigði) Veterinary product line including veterinary medications, equipment for veterinarians, nursing supplies, fish farming products, pet food and supplements, and identification chips, distributed to veterinary clinics and animal health providers.
- Medical and Nursing Supplies (Lækninga- og hjúkrunarvörur) Medical devices and nursing supplies including surgical equipment, infusion pumps, respiratory equipment, wound care products, laboratory diagnostics, and orthopedic implants, supplied to hospitals, clinics, and healthcare providers.
- Over-the-Counter Medicines (Lausasölulyf) Non-prescription medications including heartburn remedies, cold and allergy medicines, nicotine replacement therapy, and pain relief products, available to pharmacies and retail customers via the web shop.
- Research Supplies (Rannsóknarvörur) Laboratory research supplies including blood glucose meters, clinical diagnostics, research instruments, consumables, and chemical products, supplied to research institutions and laboratories.
- Mínar Síður Customer Portal Closed B2B customer service portal providing registered customers with access to order history, invoices, credit notes, waiting lists, and Distica's web store for self-service ordering and account management.
Quantifiable outcome
- Serves 4,000 customers nationwide
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Distica
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Distica technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Distica partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Distica competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Oriola: Finnish/Swedish pharmaceutical wholesaler and health retailer comparable to Distica in distributing prescription and OTC medicines plus medical supplies to pharmacies and healthcare providers in a Nordic market with similar population size and regulatory framework.
Broad incumbents
- McKesson: Global pharmaceutical distribution and healthcare services leader. Comparable in sourcing, warehousing, and distributing prescription drugs and medical supplies to providers, though operating at global scale with extensive specialty pharma and biopharma services.
- Cardinal Health: Major US pharmaceutical distributor and medical product wholesaler. Comparable in serving pharmacies, hospitals, and clinical laboratories with branded/specialty pharmaceuticals and medical-surgical supplies, but with a much larger international footprint.
- Cencora: US-headquartered global pharmaceutical wholesaler (formerly AmerisourceBergen) with strong European presence. Directly comparable in pharmaceutical distribution to pharmacies, hospitals, and other healthcare providers, with deeper specialty and animal health capabilities.
- Alliance Healthcare: European pharmaceutical wholesaler (part of Walgreens Boots Alliance) distributing to pharmacies, hospitals, and vets with pre-wholesale, distribution, and patient services — comparable healthcare wholesaling model, with broader geographic footprint.
- Phoenix Group: Pan-European pharmaceutical wholesale leader with Nordic operations (including Tamro). Comparable in serving pharmacies and healthcare providers with full-line pharmaceutical distribution, but at vastly greater scale and across multiple countries.
Emerging players
- Ewos (now part of Cargill Aqua Nutrition): Norwegian-origin aquaculture feed and fish health supplier, comparable to Distica's veterinary/aquaculture product line (fish farming products) and demonstrates how regional Nordic pharma-adjacent distributors can scale specialized animal-health categories.
- Nordic Pharma (private equity-backed): Nordic specialty pharmaceutical distributor focused on hospital and pharmacy channels. Comparable in the niche, regulated distribution specialty-pharma space relevant to Distica's medical device and hospital supply business.
Direct peers
- Tamro: Finnish pharmaceutical wholesaler (now part of Phoenix Group) distributing prescription, OTC, and healthcare products to pharmacies, hospitals, and veterinarians across Finland — directly comparable business model to Distica in a similar Nordic single-payer context.
- Norsk Medisinaldepot (NMD): Norwegian state-affiliated pharmaceutical wholesaler that supplies medicines and healthcare products to pharmacies, hospitals, and veterinarians nationwide — directly comparable model in another small Nordic market with similar regulatory and cold-chain requirements.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Distica social profiles
Digital presenceDistica financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Distica leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Distica funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Distica M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Distica
What does Distica do?
Distica is a B2B wholesale distributor that imports, warehouses, and distributes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and healthcare products across Iceland. It operates specialized temperature-controlled warehouses in Garðabær holding approximately 10,000 units at any given time, and serves around 4,000 healthcare customers nationwide including pharmacies, hospitals, research laboratories, dental practices, and veterinary clinics. Its integrated service platform comprises Imports (Innflutningur), Warehousing (Vöruhús), and Distribution (Dreifing), supported by the Mínar Síður B2B customer portal.
Is Distica a public or private company?
Distica is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Distica founded?
Distica was founded in 2007. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Distica based?
Distica is headquartered in Garðabær, Iceland, in the Europe region.
How does Distica make money?
One revenue line is on record: wholesale Distribution of Healthcare Products.
Who are Distica's main competitors?
Oriola is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are McKesson, Cardinal Health, Cencora, Alliance Healthcare and Phoenix Group. Emerging players are Ewos (now part of Cargill Aqua Nutrition) and Nordic Pharma (private equity-backed). Direct peers are Tamro and Norsk Medisinaldepot (NMD).
Does Distica have an API?
No public API is recorded for Distica.
What industry is Distica in?
Distica's product category is Pharmaceutical Wholesale Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAOAHAJ, Pharmacy Logistics, Returns, Reverse Distribution & Compliance Services, with a secondary code of TLAIACAD, Pharmaceutical & Life Sciences Warehousing (GDP-Compliant). Its NAICS code is 42421 and its SIC code is 5122.