Somedia Acquires astrea Magazines from Swiss Pharmacies

Effective September 1, 2026, Somedia Health AG will take over the publishing business of Healthcare Consulting Group AG—and with it, the role of publisher for the two well-established health magazines «astreaAPOTHEKE» and «astreaBULLETIN.» The publisher will henceforth be Healthcare Media AG, a newly established subsidiary of Somedia Health. For pharmacies, advertisers, and partners, little will change in their day-to-day operations: the team, editorial staff, and points of contact will remain the same.

According to the press release, the change is intended to ensure the long-term continuation of both publications. Somedia Health brings experience in the media industry and the healthcare market and will work with the existing team to further develop the magazines based on their current strengths.

«astreaAPOTHEKE» and «astreaBULLETIN» at a Glance

«astreaAPOTHEKE» is the official customer magazine of Swiss pharmacies and is published on behalf of the Swiss Pharmacists« Association pharmaSuisse, which also owns the trademark rights to the »astrea” brand. The magazine is published ten times a year in German and French and is available free of charge in approximately 600 pharmacies in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. Healthcare Media AG will continue to publish the magazine under this established format.

«astreaBULLETIN» is a trade magazine aimed at pharmacy teams and interested family practice offices. It is published twelve times a year, also in both languages, and each issue includes the «ApothekenExtra» section, which provides specialized information for pharmacy teams.

Continuity: The team and points of contact remain the same

All employees will be retained. Martin Bürki will continue to serve as CEO, Jürg Lendenmann will remain editor-in-chief, and Thomas Schwabe will be responsible for sales. Healthcare Media AG will operate as an independent company within Somedia Health AG. For advertisers, agencies, pharmacies, and other partners, the established points of contact and processes will remain unchanged.

Somedia Health AG: A Growing Portfolio in the Healthcare Market

Somedia Health AG consolidates Somedia’s activities in the areas of media, marketing, and communications for the healthcare sector. The group includes Rosenfluh Publications in Rheinfelden, publisher of the medical journal «Ars Medici,» as well as Helvète Media Sàrl in Martigny, publisher of the health magazines «Salle d’attente» and «Gesundheitsecho,» as well as the medical journals «La Newsletter» and «Medizin Radar.» The astrea magazines now round out this portfolio by serving the pharmacy market. Somedia Health AG is a subsidiary of Somedia and is being further developed in collaboration with entrepreneur and strategy consultant Niklaus Leemann, a partner and member of the board of directors of Somedia Health AG. With more than 720 employees at various locations, Somedia is the leading media company in southeastern Switzerland and operates in the segments of regional media, marketing, communications, digital marketing, and education.