Our German Heritage

Dr. Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, was founded in 1866. Today, the group is the world-class leader in the manufacturing of herbal medicines & comprises of six companies in Germany & more than 20 subsidiaries and joint ventures around the world. For more than 150 years, Schwabe Pharmaceuticals has been dedicated to providing patients and health care professionals with clinically proven herbal medicines and natural health care solutions.

February 2

Expanded

Amazon Prime debuts

Aliter homines, aliter philosophos loqui putas oportere? Sin aliud quid voles, postea. Mihi enim satis est, ipsis non satis. Negat enim summo bono afferre incrementum diem. Quod ea non occurrentia fingunt, vincunt Aristonem.

1866

1872

In the same year, a witch-hazel extract was first marketed as a phytopharmaceutical product. Over time it evolved into Hametum® ointment.

1926

The company, which had grown to a staff of 300 employees, moved into a new facility in the Paunsdorf neighbourhood of Leipzig where Greenhouses and fields for medicinal plants were also established. By that time, Schwabe was present all around the globe, including the Indian subcontinent as well as the Transvaal (now part of South Africa), Brazil and Mexico.

1945

The site in Karlsruhe-Durlach was opened

From 1945 onward, especially at its

new site in Karlsruhe-Durlach, the company focused more and more on the research and development of phytopharmaceuticals that fulfilled the standards of Western medicine. In the years that followed, Schwabe built new buildings for administration, research and production.

1952

Schwabe comes to Pakistan

The company started facilitating new markets and countries which were in need of quality homoeopathic medicines.

1961

DHU Founded

The company Dr. Willmar Schwabe Arzneimittel concentrated on research and development of phytopharmaceuticals.

1976

Premium-quality raw materials

At a site near Karlsruhe, Schwabe began organically growing the medicinal plants needed to manufacture its proprietary products. Terra Medica, as the area is called, has been organically certified since 1998.

1977

Expanding the company’s international role

Dr. Klaus-Peter Schwabe, a trained biochemist, and Dr. Wolf-Dietrich Schwabe, who studied business, became members of the company’s senior management in 1976 and 1977. In 1986, Norbert Keller was appointed to the executive board as well. From that time onward, Dr. Willmar Schwabe Arzneimittel gradually became today’s globally active Schwabe Group by establishing companies as well as acquiring other businesses and becoming shareholders.

2004

Further Growth

In 2004, Dr. Dirk Reischig took on the management of the Schwabe Group.
Dr. Klaus-Peter Schwabe, Dr. Wolf-Dietrich Schwabe and Norbert Keller were appointed to the advisory board. Additional growth in sales occurred, and more foreign investments were made. The Schwabe Group gained more and more international relevance.

2016

Olaf Schwabe, fifth-generation CEO

Since May 1st 2016, Olaf Schwabe has been the head of the Schwabe Group, representing the fifth generation of the family. As the Chief Executive Officer, he is one of the five-member Group Executive Team which is responsible for business operations at the Schwabe Group and defines their global strategy.

By late 2016, the Schwabe Group had achieved sales of €900 million. The Schwabe Group currently employs around 3,600 people worldwide.