Sigma Healthcare Ltd
Sigma Healthcare is an Australian pharmaceutical distributor, wholesaler and pharmacy franchisor. The revenue growth prospects and returns of pharmaceutical distribution are subdued due to ongoing Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, or PBS, price reform, and regulated wholesale gross margins being capped at 7% for community pharmacy and 10% for hospitals. As a result, Sigma and its competitors, EBOS and API, are seeking to expand into unregulated revenue streams. In addition, pharmacy ownership is restricted to pharmacists, thereby excluding direct corporate ownership and requiring exposure via a franchise business model.