With a refreshed image, ambitious goals, an expanding business portfolio, and a conscious effort to “broaden our own universe,” it is preparing for new challenges in pharmaceutical wholesale. The Budapest Business Journal sat down with Judit Füzesi, the company’s CEO, to discuss the background to this renewal, strategic directions, and the future of the market.

BBJ: How would you evaluate the 2024 business year, especially in light of the company’s 75th anniversary?

Judit Füzesi: 2024 was undoubtedly the most successful year for Hungaropharma, both from a business and emotional perspective. A milestone like a 75th anniversary is an occasion for celebration and reflection, but it also carries responsibility. We have closed one era to begin another. We are proud of our past, and although the rearview mirror is important, it does not determine our direction. That is why we decided to begin a new period, another 75-year success story, with firm goals to leave our mark and forge our own path.

BBJ: What are these goals?

JF: Our mid-term strategy is defined by three directions. The first goal is to remain an indispensable market leader and a sustainable company in the Hungarian pharmaceutical wholesale sector. The second is to elevate the level of pharmaceutical-grade logistics, where, in addition to accuracy and speed, professional competence is also key. The third is to expand our business portfolio further. In line with this, we launched a third-party logistics-plus (HPH 3PL+) business division this year, which has opened new dimensions in pharmaceutical-grade storage and logistics services, both domestically and regionally. With the handover of the third phase of our Budapest Logistics Center, our warehousing facilities have enabled us to create 360-degree logistics capabilities. With their impressive features and capacity, along with our related solutions, we offer a reliable, future-proof alternative for our B2B and B2C partners. We offer flexible and customizable options, ensuring our clients receive a comprehensive service portfolio tailored to meet every need.

Additionally, we have recently finalized another acquisition that focuses on supplementary areas supporting pharmaceutical wholesale. We are particularly interested in the market for broadly interpreted but specialized healthcare products. We see that these segments are not just trends but long-term directions that, in the spirit of self-care, point toward the ongoing development of health awareness. Embracing this opportunity, we aim to continue growing and developing, becoming a defining competent professional partner; we are adapting our existing capabilities and continually expanding them accordingly. Our new mission statement expresses these efforts perfectly: “Health. Consciously.”

BBJ: What feedback have you received about the new directions and the renewal?

JF: I believe our partners sense that we are undergoing a fundamental transformation, which is not only an integral part of our strategic evolution, but also of common professional interest. From 2025, Hungaropharma has charted a new, forward-looking path for both the company and the group. Today, our primary activity remains pharmaceutical wholesale, European-level pharmaceutical logistics, and the supply of private and institutional pharmacies, as well as other healthcare partners. However, in a few years, it will be more than just pharmaceuticals and more than just logistics.

We have created a new word, Hungaroverzum®, which perfectly expresses all the vertically integrated, industry-innovative collaborations that Hungaropharma Group will become. Hungaroverzum®, that is, our own universe, is constantly expanding. We believe that in pharmaceutical wholesale, professional credibility, human relationships, and digital developments are mutually reinforcing factors, to which the new dimensions we are opening are perfectly suited.

BBJ: Since we are talking about an expanding universe, let’s return to the expansion of the company’s service portfolio. What role do you assign to digital developments?

JF: We will soon launch our IT platform, HPH Digital; it will not only make our operations more efficient and flexible, but it will also stand on its own feet in the pharmacy and medical software solutions market. We believe that the boundaries between health technology, digitalization, and pharmaceutical logistics are increasingly blurring, and as before, albeit slightly reshaped, our place is at the intersection of these areas.

BBJ: What motivated the company to take these new directions? And why now?

JF: In recent years, the pharmaceutical market environment has fundamentally changed. Domestic manufacturers are becoming increasingly international, and international manufacturers are appearing with newer and more advanced therapies. Due to the size of the domestic market, the key to long-term competitiveness is no longer volume, but professional added value and the service experience offered to clients. Those of us who have been working in this market for decades (I have for more than 30 years) can clearly see the dynamics of change, namely, the opportunities that arise amid challenges. Adaptation is not a choice, but a matter of survival. That is why we decided, in addition to shifting our business focus and renewing, to also redefine our mindset, philosophy, and operations.

BBJ: What do you see as the most important task for the next five years?

JF: The coming period will be characterized by dynamic expansion. Our mid- and long-term business strategy clearly states that the pharma segment will define the company’s operations in terms of sustainability, while the non-pharma segment will focus on increased competitiveness and the application of innovation. In summary, we do not merely want to strengthen our existing position but also to enter additional healthcare market segments. We believe creating new, integrable, and synergy-providing business lines, and expanding into the non-pharma area will enable us to better support and complement our pharmaceutical wholesale mission.

BBJ: Finally, what does it mean to you to start a new era after 75 years of corporate history?

JF: Seventy-five years is undoubtedly an impressive number, but I prefer to focus on the next 75. Once again, we are forging our own path and reinventing ourselves. There will be new challenges and difficulties, but as I often say, it is not always the strongest or the biggest who remain at the top, but those who can adapt differently, better, and together. At Hungaropharma, we have consistently excelled in this area. Our goal is to experiment with new business solutions and implement innovative ideas to offer the market a better product. At the same time, we are also seeking further cooperation platforms because we believe that only through partnerships and finding solutions that enable professional development can every player in the sector succeed and grow over the next 75 years.

This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of July 11, 2025.