DocMorris AG: ECJ Ruling on advertising for prescription medicines

Frauenfeld, 27 February 2025

Press release

Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

ECJ Ruling on advertising for prescription medicines

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) today answered the questions referred by the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Case C-517/23 / Apothekerkammer Nordrhein (AKNR). The ECJ continues to consider price discounts (bonus) for the purchase of prescription medicines (Rx) permissible. However, from the ECJ's perspective, Member States may prohibit promotional activities that include vouchers for future purchases if these can also be redeemed for non-prescription medicines (OTC). Rx discount promotions with vouchers for beauty and personal care products (BPC) remain possible. The BGH must now decide on the AKNR's appeal. DocMorris will continue to leverage the opportunities of digitalization and the growth of e-prescriptions in Germany.

Background of the Case
Between 2012 and 2015, the AKNR obtained numerous injunctions against DocMorris, viewing their discount promotions as a violation of pharmaceutical price regulation. However, in 2016, the ECJ ruled that a rigid price fixing for prescription medicines violates Union law (ECJ, Case 148/15 - "Deutsche Parkinson Vereinigung"). DocMorris then sued the AKNR for damages. The BGH referred the case to the ECJ for a preliminary ruling.

Investors and analyst contact
Dr. Daniel Grigat, Head of Investor Relations & Sustainability
Email: ir@docmorris.com, phone: +41 52 560 58 10

Media contact
Torben Bonnke, Director Communications
Email: media@docmorris.com, phone: +49 171 864 888 1

Agenda

DocMorris
The Swiss-based DocMorris AG is a leading company in the fields of online pharmacy, marketplace and professional healthcare with strong brands in Germany and other European countries. Deliveries are mainly from the highly automated logistics centre in Heerlen, the Netherlands, with a capacity of over 27 million parcels per year. In Spain and France, the company operates the leading marketplace for health and personal care products in Southern Europe. With its business model, DocMorris offers its patients, customers and partners a broad range of products and services. In doing so, DocMorris is pursuing its vision of creating a digital health ecosystem for everyone to manage their health in one click. Around 1,600 employees in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Portugal and Switzerland generated an external revenue of CHF 1,085 million serving more than10 million active customers in 2024. The shares of DocMorris AG are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (securities number 4261528, ISIN CH0042615283, ticker DOCM). For further information, please visit corporate.docmorris.com.