German pharmacy group Celesio has reported that sales at its Irish wholesale business, Cahill May Roberts, rose by almost 20 per cent in the first nine months of the year to €220 million.

The Stuttgart-based group also owns 59 pharmacies in Ireland under the Unicare brand, and sales in these outlets grew by over 7 per cent to €87.3 million in the nine months to the end of September.

Gary Collins, managing director of Cahill May Roberts, which supplies to hospitals and pharmacies, said yesterday that it has performed very strongly across the wholesale and, in particular, the hospital business so far this year.

"Cahill May Roberts is committed to growing and developing the businesses of its independent pharmacy customers," Mr Collins commented. "It will assist in overcoming the challenges facing young pharmacists who continue to experience increasing difficulty in entering the Irish retail market"

"The Irish Movianto business continues to increase its range of services and is working with their European colleagues to build strong partnerships with manufacturers," he added.

Celesio indicated yesterday that the Government has agreed a 20 per cent price reduction with pharmaceutical manufacturers for unpatented prescription medicines from March 2007 onwards.

The company also said that "if the location and purchase price of pharmacies are right", it will consider expanding its pharmacy presence in Ireland.

The group's overall pretax profits in the first nine months of the year rose by almost 10 per cent to €442.8 million, while group revenue increased by 5.3 per cent to €15.9 billion.

Celesio said that it is continuing its growth course "despite adverse conditions", and predicted that 2006 will see an uplift in profits for the 20th consecutive year.

Cahill May Roberts launched a purchasing association, Connect, earlier this year, which enables member pharmacies to receive "purchasing advantages". Some 60 pharmacies have already joined the association.