75 Years of MEDICE: From the Pütter Bandage to the MEDICE Health Family

75 years ago, Gustav Pütter took advantage of the spirit of optimism and the economic upturn of the post-war period to develop and manufacture high-quality remedies for the treatment and prevention of illnesses and to improve the quality of life.

How it all began...

The year is 1949, post-war Germany. A country in survival mode. But there are also people who see an entrepreneurial opportunity in rebuilding their devastated homeland. One of them is Gustav Pütter, the inventor of the Pütter Bandage named after him and still on the market today.

It is a special seed he planted in the soil of Iserlohn and from which the family-run, medium-sized company MEDICE developed into what it is today: a company focused on healthcare solutions. Successful, innovative and future-oriented.

It has been a long road to get there. Gustav Pütter began with the production of herbal medicines. His son Sigurd, a convinced physician, transformed MEDICE into a modern pharmaceutical company. In the 1990s, he bought the nephrology division (renal medicine) of Dietl Pharma. At the end of the 1990s, the next decisive step was taken: at the suggestion of many pediatricians, MEDICE developed the drug Medikinet to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

In 2002, Sigurd Pütter's daughter Katja and shortly afterwards her husband Richard Ammer, both also physicians, joined the company.

Under the management of Dr. med. Katja Pütter-Ammer and Dr. med. Dr. oec. Richard Ammer, MEDICE developed into the leading provider in the field of ADHD medication for children, adolescents and adults in Europe - most patients in this indication area are now treated with medicines from Iserlohn.

In 2006, the acquisition of the OTC division of Rentschler was a further strategic step towards expanding the existing OTC business with a successful product portfolio already on the market.

Together they systematically expanded the market share, modernized the entire company structure, internationalized sales and purchased the majority of the phyto manufacturer, Schaper & Brümmer.

What a journey, what a success!

As a family-owned company with a strong sense of community, MEDICE has been working together with researchers, doctors and pharmacists for three generations to improve people's health.

As a medium-sized pharmaceutical company in the fields of prescription and pharmacy-only medicines, people's health is at the heart of the company's identity.

Strong brands such as Medikinet, Meditonsin, Perenterol, Dorithricin, Cystinol and Remifemin form the foundation of the company's success. Doctors, pharmacists and patients appreciate the well-researched quality and safety of "Made in Germany".

Rooted in the region and connected to the world, over 1,000 employees and a large international network of doctors, pharmacists and scientists work every day on new medicines, ideas and care concepts for a healthier world.

"Our origins determine who we are and give us the stability to shape the future thanks to our deep roots in our values," describes Dr. Katja Pütter-Ammer.

More than just pharmaceuticals: the MEDICE Health Family

At the beginning of 2022, MEDICE presented its strategy for the future, with the aim of becoming a leading developer and provider of diverse healthcare solutions - the MEDICE Health Family.

Pharmaceuticals will be combined with developments from the fields of digital health and nutritional medicine to create an innovative prevention and therapy management system. The aim is to sustainably improve the quality of treatment for doctors and patients.

"By combining proven drug therapies with developments from our innovation areas Medigital (digital health) and Medibiom (nutritional medicine), we are breaking completely new ground in the direction of innovative 360-degree therapies," says Dr. Katja Pütter-Ammer.

Well positioned for the future

In times of delicate international supply chains, security of supply is a much-discussed topic in the healthcare sector. MEDICE manufactures high-quality pharmaceuticals in Germany at the

company's sites in Iserlohn and Ringelheim (Schaper & Brümmer). "We are clearly committed to Germany as a location and thus make a reliable contribution to securing the supply of medicines," says Dr. Richard Ammer.

The MEDICE Health Family is therefore continuing to invest in the company's Iserlohn site. Two new construction projects on the site, the expansion of the existing sterile department and distribution logistics, are further building blocks for sustainable growth. The MEDICE Health Family is investing a high, seven-figure sum for this purpose.

The investments are also a clear commitment to Germany and Iserlohn as a production location, explains Dr. med. Dr. oec. Richard Ammer: "The pharmaceutical industry is a key industry for the development of Germany as a business location." It is an outstanding sector of the economy which, in addition to high productivity, also has the great innovative strength to survive in global competition.

At the same time, the company is consistently driving forward internationalization through its own subsidiaries and strategic partners abroad. The steadily increasing turnover in this segment now comes from over 50 markets.

Social commitment

"Together for a healthier world" is for what the MEDICE Health Family stands. It goes without saying that social commitment is also derived from this. A comprehensive concept of health, which includes social and ecological health as well as physical/mental health, is crucial here.

Growing ecological problems, social stress situations such as stress or loneliness or poor diet and lack of exercise are often the cause of serious illnesses. There is an urgent need for action at all levels. In its social commitment, the MEDICE Health Family focuses on projects that specifically counteract these deficiencies and thus the development of secondary health problems.