Press release

• Bichsel decides to close its pharmaceutical manufacturing operations after the completion of the consultation process. 
• The number of redundancies can be reduced by 18 to 152 jobs.
• The employees concerned will be supported by a social plan.
• Bichsel wants to secure the supply of the most important products to customers until the end of 2026.

On 24 February 2026, Galenica announced its intention to discontinue pharmaceutical production at its subsidiary Bichsel at the end of 2026 for economic reasons and to focus its business on home care services. Bichsel has now completed the consultation process that was initiated as part of this announcement. The Board of Directors and the Executive Committee have carefully reviewed the proposals submitted by the employee representatives during the consultation process. However, the process confirmed that production has been in deficit for years and that the existing facilities and buildings cannot be maintained despite continuous investments in recent years. As a result, continued operation is not economically viable under any scenario. The Board of Directors has therefore decided to close the production division at the end of 2026.

Comprehensive social plan

The originally anticipated reduction of 170 jobs can be reduced slightly by 18 jobs and now affects 152 jobs. In addition, an evaluation will be carried out over the coming weeks to determine how many employees can be employed within the Galenica network. Employees will be informed of their personal situation in the coming days. All affected employees will be supported by a comprehensive social plan. Among other things, the plan takes into account the age and years of service and includes provisions for cases of hardship. In addition, the affected employees will be supported in finding new employment. The constructive proposals submitted by the employee representatives have been incorporated into the social plan and have made a significant contribution to its design.

Supporting customers

Bichsel is in close contact with its customers and will support them during the transition phase as well as the search for alternative suppliers. Production will be continued and planned until the mid-year in such a way that Bichsel will be able to supply its customers with the most important products until approximately the end of the year. The extemporaneous formulations business will be taken over by the Galenica company Laboratoire Golaz in Lausanne. These products are particularly important for doctors and their patients and are sold through pharmacies.

Dates for the diary
21 April 2026: Annual General Meeting of Galenica Ltd.
28 May 2026: Galenica Group sales update
06 August 2026: Publication of Galenica Group half-year results 2026

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Over 8,000 employees at Galenica work tirelessly to improve the health and well-being of the people of Switzerland every day. With its pharmacies, pharmaceutical logistics providers, products, services and home care, Galenica has a broad and successful position in the market. We are shaping the future of healthcare in collaboration with our strong partners – by drawing on the diverse skills and extensive expertise of our entire network. Our ambition is to fulfil the needs of customers and patients in the Swiss healthcare market seamlessly, efficiently and personally.

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