What Laboratoire Arrow does

Laboratoire Arrow (legal entity: Arrow Génériques S.A.S.) is a France-based pharmaceutical company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Lyon, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Indian generics manufacturer Aurobindo Pharma. The company designs, manufactures, and commercializes approximately 1,000 medicines spanning generic prescription drugs, branded medicines, biosimilars, over-the-counter products (Arrow Conseil range), and self-care medical devices, covering the majority of therapeutic areas. Its commercial reach is structured around two dedicated channels: a regional field sales force covering community pharmacies (officines de ville) and a dedicated Business Unit Hôpital (BUH) of 26 collaborators serving hospital pharmacies (PUI), supported by two dedicated customer service lines and a 25,000 m² Geodis-operated logistics facility at Saint-Vulbas (Ain).

The company's product technology base is conventional pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution, augmented by a proprietary digital health ecosystem — the aBox platform (aBox Mémo, aBox Care, aBox Index) and the CarlOs bone-health application — that supports patient adherence, pharmacist workflow, and calcium/osteoporosis education. A differentiated operational technology asset is its consolidated-code serialization solution, developed with Hospices Civils de Lyon and deployed via Hospitalis connectors in 700+ healthcare establishments, delivering roughly 12x faster batch deactivation of serialized medicines in hospital pharmacies. Manufacturing capacity is being expanded through the 2026 acquisition of the Meymac (Corrèze) production site via Arrow Pharma Production (Aurobindo group).

Arrow's revenue model combines one-time pharmaceutical product sales (to pharmacies and hospitals via direct field sales, wholesale distributors, and buying groups including CAHPP) with freemium digital health services that indirectly support product uptake and brand loyalty. The company generates an estimated €2 billion in annual savings for the French social security system through generic substitution, and holds 7th position in the French retail pharmacy market and top 3 in the French hospital market by volume distributed (Gers data, April 2020). Marketing reach spans field sales, TV advertising (notably the Arrow Conseil OTC range), a professional podcast series ("Même pas mal, même pas peur!" on osteoporosis), LinkedIn, healthcare-professional congresses, and a structured Mécénat & Sponsoring CSR commission supporting 13+ associations annually.

Name

Laboratoire Arrow

Legal name

Arrow Génériques S.A.S.

Website

https://laboratoire-arrow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Laboratoire Arrow is a Lyon-based pharmaceutical subsidiary of Aurobindo Pharma that designs, manufactures, and distributes approximately 1,000 generic, branded, biosimilar, and OTC medicines through dedicated field sales channels to community pharmacies and hospitals across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Generic Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Generic Hospital & Institutional Products (HLAIABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Generic pharmaceuticals
• Medicament distribution
• Hospital pharmaceuticals
• Patient adherence apps
• Drug serialization

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Product Sales: Laboratoire Arrow designs, manufactures, and commercializes approximately 1,000 medications across community pharmacies (officines) and hospitals. Revenue is generated through direct sales to pharmacies and hospitals as well as through wholesale distributors. The product portfolio includes generic prescription medicines, branded medicines, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines (gamme Arrow Conseil), self-care medical devices, and biosimilars.
2. Digital Health Services: The company provides digital health services through its aBox platform applications (aBox Mémo, aBox Care, aBox Index) and the CarlOs bone health coaching application. These are free services for patients and healthcare professionals, supporting treatment adherence, health education, and pharmacy-patient interactions, indirectly supporting product sales and brand loyalty.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Laboratoire Arrow designs, manufactures, and commercializes approximately 1,000 pharmaceutical products — generic prescription medicines, branded medicines, over-the-counter medicines (Arrow Conseil range), biosimilars, and self-care medical devices — for community pharmacies and hospital pharmacies across France. The company also provides free digital health applications (aBox Mémo, aBox Care, aBox Index, CarlOs) supporting patient adherence and pharmacist tools, and a consolidated-code serialization solution for hospital pharmacies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arrow Conseil: Over-the-counter medicines not requiring prescription, covering therapeutic areas including allergology, dermatology, gastroenterology, and infectiology.
• aBox
• CarlOs
• Arrow Fidélité

Products and services

• Generic and branded pharmaceutical portfolio (approximately 1,000 medicines) Approximately 1,000 medicines designed, manufactured, and commercialized by Laboratoire Arrow, covering the majority of therapeutic areas; sold to community pharmacies (officines) and hospital pharmacies across France, including generic prescription medicines, branded medicines, biosimilars, and self-care medical devices.
• Arrow Conseil over-the-counter (OTC) range Over-the-counter medicines sold under the Arrow Conseil brand without prescription, covering therapeutic areas including allergology, dermatology, gastroenterology, and infectiology, distributed through community pharmacies across France.
• aBox Mémo mobile application Free mobile application helping patients track medication intake, with color-coded drug identification, a medication reminder journal, sharing with relatives and healthcare professionals, a holiday planning mode ('Prepare your box'), and access to drug information leaflets.
• aBox Care professional platform for pharmacists Professional web platform for pharmacists providing patient management tools, educational content including pathology fact sheets, diabetes management tools (glycemic tracking tables, nutrition guides, weekly planners), osteoporosis resources, and the Mon Bilan Prévention prevention health check module.
• aBox Index mobile application Free mobile application providing access to drug information, condition leaflets, and packaging details for healthcare professionals and patients.
• CarlOs mobile application Free mobile application for calculating daily dietary calcium intake, with bone health and osteoporosis educational content, medication reminder notifications, and a validated questionnaire-based calcium assessment completed in under 30 seconds.
• Consolidated Code (Code Consolidé) drug serialization solution Technical solution grouping all unique medicine box identifiers from a hospital order into a single secure file for batch deactivation, reducing hospital pharmacy deactivation time by approximately 12x (e.g., 5.25 minutes vs. ~1 hour for a batch of 803 boxes at CH Valenciennes); transmitted securely to hospital pharmacy systems via Hospitalis (Cegedim Group) connectors installed in 700+ healthcare establishments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately €2 billion in annual savings for the French social security system attributable to generic medicines
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• GeodiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2021Geodis operates Arrow's 25,000 m² logistics facility in Saint-Vulbas (Parc Industriel de la Plaine de l'Ain), providing warehousing, order preparation, and distribution of Arrow pharmaceutical products across France. This partnership supports Arrow's supply chain capacity expansion to accommodate 50%+ volume growth over 6 years and extends the 24/48h delivery zone to southern France.
• Hospitalis (Cegedim Group)coreTechnology or IntegrationHospitalis provides secure electronic data exchange infrastructure for transmitting consolidated code files from Arrow to hospital pharmacy systems. The company has connectors installed in 700+ healthcare establishments, facilitating rapid deployment of Arrow's consolidated code serialization solution. Arrow is the first laboratory to have developed this solution with Hospitalis.
• Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHCL, the 2nd largest university hospital in France (~5,500 beds), partnered with Arrow on the first-ever consolidated code deactivation test in Europe in April 2019, validating the solution that reduces hospital pharmacy deactivation workload by approximately 12x. Arrow has a historic partnership with HCL.
• Centre Hospitalier de ValenciennessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCH Valenciennes (approximately 1,850 beds) partnered with Arrow for a second consolidated code deactivation test in October 2019 using a different software editor than HCL, validating the robustness of the solution across different hospital IT environments. The test demonstrated 5.25-minute batch deactivation vs. ~1 hour per unit.
• Sport dans la VilleminorOthersArrow supports Sport dans la Ville, an association that accompanies 12,500 young people from priority areas toward social and professional integration through sports practice. Arrow employees participated in the 24th edition of a solidarity inter-company football tournament organized by the association.
• Centre Léon BérardminorOthersArrow joined the 'À vos baskets' challenge organized by Centre Léon Bérard (reference cancer center in Lyon), transforming collective team engagement into donations supporting cancer research and adapted physical activity programs for patients.
• ASVEL Villeurbanne (Basket Féminin)minorOthersArrow has been a partner of the ASVEL Villeurbanne women's basketball club for over 6 years, supporting the 'ASVEL SANTÉ POUR TOUS' basket santé (health basketball) project under the 2016 decree allowing physical activity prescriptions for long-term illness patients.
• Le Rire MédecinminorOthersSelected by Arrow's Mécénat & Sponsoring commission for support. Le Rire Médecin has over 30 years of experience sending 150 professional clown comedians into 80 pediatric hospital services, delivering more than 100,000 personalized shows annually to children, families, and caregivers.
• AVL (Vacances Loisirs)minorOthersAVL organizes annual adapted stays for people with intellectual disabilities and/or polyhandicap in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, within a safe, caring, and joyful environment. Supported through Arrow's annual Mécénat & Sponsoring commission.
• La NiaqueminorOthersSince 2015, La Niaque accompanies people affected by cancer or chronic illness in their professional reconstruction, offering personalized support to help individuals regain confidence and return to work.
• CTNNB1 FranceminorOthersCreated in 2023, CTNNB1 France brings together families and relatives of people with CTNNB1 syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. The association supports medical research, family accompaniment, public awareness of intellectual and motor disabilities, and community building around hope.
• Pink LifeminorOthersArrow supported collaborator Sabrina from Pink Life, an association participating in the Rallye Roses des Sables (100% feminine and 100% solidarity desert rally supporting multiple causes), through donations from the company's Course des Héros participation.
• Arrow Pharma Production (Aurobindo Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArrow Pharma Production, part of the Aurobindo Group, is expanding Arrow's presence in France through the acquisition of the Meymac pharmaceutical production site in Corrèze. The site maintains all existing jobs, plans significant equipment modernization investments, and will progressively integrate some Arrow products into its manufacturing.
• CAHPP (Soins et Performances)minorOthersCAHPP organizes the Indice Vert, the first barometer evaluating the sustainable development approach of referenced healthcare suppliers and service providers. Arrow participates in the annual evaluation and received the highest Note A rating in 2025.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EG Labo (Stada group): EG Labo is the French generics arm of Stada and competes head-to-head with Laboratoire Arrow across community pharmacies and hospitals in France, with a comparable broad therapeutic-area portfolio and French field-sales model.
• KRKA: KRKA is a Slovenian generics manufacturer with material presence across European markets including France. Comparable to Arrow on broad generics portfolio, OTC consumer health adjacencies, and pricing-driven retail pharmacy model.
• Biogaran: Biogaran is France's largest generics manufacturer and a direct competitor to Laboratoire Arrow in both community pharmacy and hospital channels. It is a Servier subsidiary with a comparable broad generics portfolio, French field sales, and similar positioning on French healthcare tenders.
• Mylan (legacy French operations under Viatris) / generics arm: Long-standing Mylan French operations (now Viatris) compete directly with Arrow in both city pharmacy and hospital pharmacy channels on broad generics portfolios with similar pricing dynamics.
• Merck Génériques: Merck Génériques (the generics division of Merck KGaA) operates in France with a comparable portfolio model targeting community pharmacies and hospitals, positioning it as a direct competitor in French tender markets.
• Zentiva: Zentiva is a European-focused generics manufacturer headquartered in Prague with growing French operations. Comparable to Arrow as a mid-tier European generics specialist with a strong retail pharmacy orientation and an expanding biosimilar portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Sandoz: Sandoz is the global leader in generic and biosimilar medicines (now independent from Novartis) with significant French operations. It directly competes with Arrow across retail and hospital generics and brings broader international scale and a deep biosimilar portfolio.
• Sanofi (French generics presence): Sanofi is a French-headquartered multinational pharmaceutical company with a generics and biosimilar footprint in France. While broader and brand-led, its generics division overlaps with Arrow's hospital and retail channels in France.
• Viatris (formerly Mylan): Viatris is a major global generics and specialty player formed from the Mylan-Upjohn merger, with material French retail and hospital presence. It competes directly with Arrow on broad-spectrum generics portfolio, OTC, and biosimilars.
• Teva Pharmaceutical Industries: Teva is one of the world's largest generic pharmaceutical manufacturers with established French operations. Its broad generics and specialty portfolio, including biosimilars, competes with Arrow across the same pharmacy and hospital channels in France.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/laboratoire-arrow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Laboratoire Arrow