About us

Meet the team behind our operations in the UK and learn more about Abacus Medicine.

Who is Abacus Medicine?

Abacus Medicine was founded in 2004 by CEO Flemming Wagner and his father John Wagner (1932-2018). Since then, Abacus Medicine has grown continuously and has established itself among the market leaders in the European parallel import industry.

Abacus Medicine represents the parallel import-branch of the Abacus Medicine Group. Abacus Medicine and our parallel import-business remains the largest contributor to our financial results and continuous growth.

If you are looking for career opportunities, financial information and corporate news, visit the Abacus Medicine Group’s website.

The history of Abacus Medicine

Abacus Medicine was founded on the basis of a growing call for competition in the Danish pharmaceutical market to the benefit of Danish hospitals. To answer this call, Flemming and John Wagner founded Abacus Medicine with the purpose of carrying out parallel import and parallel distribution of original medicine within the EU.

Not long after it was founded, Abacus Medicine entered the Danish pharmaceutical market. Following this successful entrance, the company expanded its reach to Germany and Sweden. Since then, Abacus Medicine has pursued a vigorous and highly successful multi-market strategy, and our parallel import services are now available in 12 European markets with more to come.

Apart from our many active sales markets, we also have sales offices in 6 European countries: Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Spain and United Kingdom. Our office in Copenhagen, Denmark functions as our headquarters for both the Group and Abacus Medicine.

Our Team

Management

Operations

Business Development

Portfolio Management

The history of Abacus Medicine UK

First deliveries in the UK, marking the launch of our UK business unit

2015

First replica pack sales into the private sector

2018

Successful transition to operating within the post-Brexit framework

2021

First exhibition stand in the UK at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress

2023

The UK team grows into a 10+ people operation

2024

Celebrating 10 years in the UK and our first Customer Day

2025

Sustainability in Abacus Medicine

Sustainability is governed at Group-level in the Abacus Medicine Group. This means that our sustainability initiatives are applicable for all companies in the Group.

Yet, some of our sustainability programs are heavily linked to Abacus Medicine’s parallel import-business, such as our Waste-program. 

As a parallel importer, we repackage each pack of medicine which results in an increase in packaging material waste. This led us to investigate how we can manage this waste in the best and most sustainable way.

Paper products made from Abacus Medicine waste

In 2019, we phased out putting new labels on the original manufacturer’s boxes from most of our production and introduced replica boxes instead. This enables us to provide products of a high and consistent quality to our customers.

However, this new solution also brought us new environmental challenges. As Abacus Medicine discards large amounts of used packaging materials, we wanted to find a more sustainable destruction method.

We now use a shredder that cuts used boxes into small pieces. By sorting and shredding the waste, it is now possible to recycle the old packaging materials into new paper.

Today, we send more than 10 tons of paper waste for recycling each month. After leaving Abacus Medicine’s production facility in Hungary, the shredded paper goes through various phases of preparation and shaping by several companies to become ready for use in the production of new paper products such as napkins and toilet paper. The new solution also has positive, if modest, economic benefits. By selling our waste as raw material for recycling we gain a small income and save on destruction costs for a combined total of around EUR 1,000 per month.

You can read more about our overall sustainability strategy and programs on our Group site.

Goal #3:
Good Health and Well-being, including:

Target 3.8: “achieve universal health coverage (UHC), including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health care services, and access to safe, effective, quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.”

Better access. Better healthcare

The Abacus Medicine Group recognizes and supports the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. We strive to continue our contribution to the
international community we are a part of, and we acknowledge this responsibility and the impact we have.

Our sustainability efforts aim to contribute to solving the major global challenges being addressed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Abacus Medicine
Group’s strategy and targets focus on three SDGs that hold particular influence to our business. This is where we believe we can create the biggest positive impact at scale through the knowledge, products and solutions we provide to our customers and society at large.

As a Group consisting of a variety of pharmaceutical companies, we believe that our strongest contribution to our society lies within SDG 3. With our broad range of services within parallel distribution, pharmaceutical areas such as clinical trials and unlicensed medicines as well as general pharmaceutical wholesale and direct-to-patient services, we have one of the broadest lists of beneficiaries. We work hard every day to ensure safe and stable access to medicine. As such, SDG 3 ties closely and directly with our core business and all operations in our company.

The British Association of European Pharmaceutical Distributors (BAEPD) represents those companies licensed by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and, where applicable, by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to source and distribute prescription pharmaceuticals within the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK.

Affordable Medicines Europe is a non-profit organisation that supports the parallel distribution of medicines, promotes competition and strengthens the EU internal market. It focuses on free trade, regulatory compliance and cooperation between members to make affordable medicines accessible across the European Economic Area.

The Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA) is a membership organisation representing independent pharmacies with single or multiple branch pharmacies. The IPA also offers associate membership and partnerships to organisations and companies who would like to work with the community pharmacy sector. Abacus Medicine UK is an associate member of the IPA.

General Manager – UK, IE

Parm Sandhu

Parm Sandhu has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the UK healthcare sector. Starting his career as a registered pharmacist, he progressed into several senior roles for most of the UK private hospital groups and private ventures with the NHS. With overall responsibility for the success of the UK business, his 25 years of clinical, operational, and business development experience in the UK private sector, puts the UK team in the ideal position to fully understand our customers operations, challenges and business needs so that we can provide an adaptable and innovative service.

head of operations

Ioana Cotârlea

Being part of the team since 2017, Ioana has been involved in building the UK business from the initial setup through various roles. Having experience in product analysis, portfolio, project management and sales, she has gained a great deal of expertise in all aspects of our business. Furthermore, Ioana has led the Brexit transition by having an understanding of the implications and overseeing the successful implementation of the resulting changes. In her current role as Operations Manager she is supporting the entire UK value chain, overseeing a number of business critical projects and workstreams, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders while finding the best resolutions to the complex ongoing post Brexit challenges.

Senior Account Manager

Mathias Carlsen

Mathias is our Senior Account Manager. He joined the Abacus Medicine UK team in 2022 and is an experienced sales professional with excellent communication skills.

He is particularly skilled at building strong and lasting relationships with clients. In his role, he is responsible for keeping customers satisfied and ensuring that their needs and expectations are consistently met.

Lead Portfolio Manager

Daniel Chadwick

Daniel is the Lead Portfolio Manager for the UK, Ireland, and Malta, bringing extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and e-commerce sectors across the UK and Nordics. He has worked with both established companies and fast-growing scale-ups, finding innovative ways to turn challenges into opportunities. Whether negotiating deals, streamlining processes, or bringing alignment to diverse stakeholders, he is passionate about making things work better and driving efficiency in complex environments.

Business Support Manager

Stefano De Luca

As our Business Support Manager, Stefano brings a diverse background in account and project management acquired from both small and large-scale enterprises across B2B and B2C sectors. His addition strengthens our team, facilitating seamless support across vital functions within the UK department, encompassing Sales, Portfolio Management and Operations.

Operations Assistant

Emma Donald

Emma joined the team as a Operations Assistant and has a background from a British Procurement consultancy. In the role, Emma supports and enables the Operations team members with conducting research, analyzing data, reporting, and overseeing various operational tasks to enhance the value proposition to our clients and contribute to the success of the UK team.

Administrative Assistant

Florencia Caldentey

Florencia joined as an Administrative Assistant in 2025, bringing experience in the healthcare industry and a strong business background. In her role, she ensures the smooth operation of our UK activities, supporting key processes to guarantee that medication reaches patients efficiently. Her contributions enhance the team’s ability to navigate administrative and operational challenges, contributing to the overall success of our UK operations.

Key Account Manager

Carolyn Gahgan

As our Key Account Manager since 2024, Carolyn is deeply committed to the principles of service excellence. With 9 years of experience in healthcare and 8 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, she believes that successful sales are fundamentally based on trust, transparency, and a genuine concern for the needs of customers. Whether she is finalising agreements, supporting existing accounts, or identifying new business opportunities, she is dedicated to providing exemplary service to all her customers.

Business Development Manager

Richard Edwards

Richard brings a wealth of experience to the UK team and is responsible for all business development activity in the retail pharmacy and pharma wholesale sectors. Along with his 24+ years of commercial experience, Richard also brings to the team a wealth of energy and passion for seeking out new opportunities and delivering on the objectives that he sets. Prior to joining the Abacus Medicine Group, Richard was with one of the main UK Full Line wholesalers where he held several commercial roles. During this time, he was able to build up a significant network of retail pharmacy owners and also Full and Short Line wholesalers who supply them.

sales assistant

Maria Vidiecanova

Maria joined the UK team in November 2024 as a Sales Assistant. As part of the Business Development team, she collaborates closely with the Account Managers to support sales operations. With experience in coordinating distributor networks and supporting sales processes in the medical device industry, Maria has developed a solid foundation in sales operations. She has also worked on compliance documentation and fostering relationships with distributors to ensure customer satisfaction.

Marketing Assistant

Kerstin Uebele

Kerstin joined the UK team in 2024 as our Marketing Assistant. As part of her Marketing responsibilities, she oversees the UK LinkedIn channel, web content creation and management of internal and external events.

With previous experience in B2B marketing, health communication and social media, Kerstin has a strong understanding of relevant online and offline channels to increase visibility of the UK brand.

Portfolio Manager

Laura Sofie Hjørringgaard

As our Portfolio Manager, Laura is responsible for managing our active product portfolio and supporting the launch of new medicines for our customers. Having a sales-related background, she has acquired a deep understanding of our market and customer demands. Furthermore, Laura manages our commercial projects in portfolio management aimed at optimising and expanding our business to meet the growing needs of our customers.

Portfolio Manager

Raquel Salus Villena

Having a dual education in Biochemistry and Business, Raquel has a clear comprehension of drug development and health economics. This background enables Raquel to identify new clinical opportunities to expand the current portfolio and perform economic analysis to ensure the successful launch of products into the UK market.

Portfolio manager

Caroline Schock-Aagaard

Caroline seamlessly combines her scientific research background and her business education, with a focus on health economics. Her journey has led her to the role of product analyst for the UK team where she performs analysis to identify potential new products. This allows us to develop and diversify our product offering for the UK market, providing better access to medicine and healthcare.

Portfolio Manager

Rodrigo Vale

Rodrigo joined the UK team in 2025 after previously working for the Irish team in Abacus. With a background in sales and operations, he brings a unique perspective that bridges the gap between market demands and internal processes. As Portfolio Manager, Rodrigo evaluates the performance of existing products, identifying areas for improvement, and making necessary adjustments to align with market trends, customer preferences, and sales strategies.

Product Analyst

Solene Lapasset

Having previously worked as an NHS pharmacist, with experience in some of London’s busiest hospitals, Solene has a strong understanding of medications and different therapeutic areas. Together with the Portfolio Management team, Solene’s responsibility is to expand and diversify the product portfolio, relying on her clinical expertise and analysis of the market, to generate savings to our customers and positively impact the UK healthcare sector. 

Choose a language