Profarma

What Profarma does

Profarma is a Brazilian pharmaceutical wholesaler founded in 1961, headquartered in Barra Da Tijuca, and publicly listed on B3 under ticker PFRM3. The company employs between 1,001 and 5,000 people and operates a horizontally segmented distribution model serving pharmacy chains and healthcare providers across Brazil. Its core asset base is a logistics infrastructure built for distributing high-complexity and specialty medications, complemented by direct-to-consumer reach through the owned d1000 retail pharmacy chain, which provides a vertically integrated wholesale-to-retail pipeline uncommon among pure-play distributors.

Name

Profarma

Legal name

Profarma

Website

https://profarma.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Profarma is a Brazilian pharmaceutical wholesaler founded in 1961, operating a vertically integrated distribution platform that combines the owned d1000 retail pharmacy chain with high-complexity medication logistics, following its 2026 acquisition of 4Bio from RD Saúde.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Distribution

NAICS

Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (424210), Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (42421), Drugs and Druggists' Sundries Merchant Wholesalers (4242), Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (456110), Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611)

SIC

Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries (5122), Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Pharmacy & Biologics Distribution (CRAOAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Prescription Pharmaceutical (Rx) Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAHAA), Specialty Pharma & Biologics Distribution (GDP-compliant) (HLAGAMAD), Specialty Pharmacies (Complex/High-Cost Therapies) (HLAFALAC)

Keywords

• Pharmaceutical distribution
• Pharmaceutical wholesale
• Specialty medication distribution
• Pharmacy retail chain
• Healthcare supply chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Barra Da Tijuca

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Profarma is a Brazilian pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor that supplies medications to pharmacy chains and healthcare providers, and operates the d1000 retail pharmacy chain. It also distributes high-complexity/specialty medications, having re-entered that segment through the acquisition of 4Bio.

Product overview

Profarma is a pharmaceutical distribution company operating across multiple segments. The company owns the d1000 pharmacy chain (retail segment) and has recently expanded into specialty/high-complexity medication distribution through the acquisition of 4Bio from RD Saúde. Profarma previously operated a specialty distribution business under the Profarma Specialty brand, which was sold to Viveo in 2021, making this acquisition a strategic return to the specialty distribution market. The combined operations are expected to generate approximately R$ 15 billion in annual distribution revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• d1000: Pharmacy chain owned by Profarma.

Products and services

• d1000 A retail pharmacy chain operated by Profarma, representing the company's direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical retail segment in Brazil.
• 4Bio High-complexity/specialty medication distribution business acquired from RD Saude, distributing specialty pharmaceuticals to pharmacy chains and healthcare providers. Reported LTM revenue of R$ 3.4 billion with 15% annual growth since 2023.
• Pharmaceutical Wholesale Distribution Distribution and logistics of pharmaceutical products to pharmacy chains and healthcare providers across Brazil, including infrastructure for high-value and temperature-sensitive medications.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RD SaúdecoreOthers · 3 March 2026Profarma acquired 4Bio, the high-complexity medication distribution business of RD Saúde, for R$ 520 million equity value (R$ 600 million enterprise value). The acquisition is structured as six equal cash installments of R$ 100 million over five years, subject to CADE (Brazilian antitrust authority) approval. This marks Profarma's return to specialty distribution segment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Pague Menos: Large Brazilian retail pharmacy chain with associated distribution operations. Comparable to Profarma's d1000 retail arm and overall pharmaceutical distribution footprint in Brazil.
• DPSP (Drogarias Pacheco / São Paulo): Major Brazilian pharmacy chain with significant distribution and retail operations. Comparable to Profarma as a combined retail/distribution pharmaceutical business in the Brazilian market.

Broad incumbents

• EMS Pharma: Brazil's largest domestic pharmaceutical manufacturer with a significant distribution arm. Comparable to Profarma as a major player in Brazil's pharmaceutical supply chain with both branded products and distribution reach.
• Eurofarma: Major Brazilian pharmaceutical manufacturer with growing specialty/biologics capabilities. Comparable to Profarma as a domestic pharma participant with both manufacturing and distribution exposure.
• McKesson: Global pharmaceutical distribution leader with a specialty/biologics distribution franchise comparable to the 4Bio business Profarma is acquiring. Useful benchmark for specialty distribution economics and growth.
• Cardinal Health: US-based pharmaceutical wholesaler with nuclear pharmacy, specialty distribution, and at-Home Solutions businesses. Comparable to Profarma as a diversified pharmaceutical distributor with specialty exposure.
• Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen): One of the world's largest pharmaceutical distributors and an existing Profarma investor since 2014. Direct comparable as a global specialty pharma wholesaler and source of operational benchmarks for Profarma's distribution business.
• Hypera Pharma: Largest Brazilian pharmaceutical company by market share with branded, generic, and consumer health portfolios alongside significant distribution scale. Comparable to Profarma as a major Brazilian pharma supply chain participant.

Direct peers

• Viveo: Brazilian healthcare products distributor that acquired Profarma Specialty from Profarma in 2021. Viveo is now a direct competitor in specialty/high-complexity pharmaceutical distribution, occupying the niche Profarma is re-entering.
• RD Saúde (Raia Drogasil): Brazil's largest pharmacy chain and the former parent of the 4Bio specialty distribution business Profarma is acquiring. RD Saúde operates both retail pharmacies and wholesale distribution, directly overlapping with Profarma's distribution-plus-d1000 retail model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/profarma

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Profarma