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In Sweden, medicine wholesale began in 1907, when Kronans Droghandel AB was established in the pharmacy Apoteket Kronan in Gothenburg. However, the story of Apoteket Kronan dates back centuries: it was established in 1650 with permission from King Karl X. After the pharmacy owner of Apoteket Strutsen had been enrolled to assist in the embalming of the famous King Karl XII in 1718, the pharmacy was allowed to change its name to Apoteket Kronan as a royal privilege.

Kronans Droghandel was a pharmaceutical wholesaler owned and managed by the pharmacist family Bernström. In 1959, several pharmaceutical companies started a common company and bought Kronans Droghandel.

The Finnish Oriola Oy was founded in 1948 and entrusted with importing and distributing medicines and sanitary wares for Finland’s post-war reconstruction period. Special emphasis was put on products and speciality products that were considered essential for the development of healthcare in the country. The first medicine imported and distributed by Oriola was Novo Therapeutic Laboratorio's insulin. In 1951, Oriola launched wholesale operations for medicines and pharmaceutical raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry.

The current Oriola Corporation was established in 2006 after Orion Group demerged to two new stock listed companies: Orion Corporation and Oriola-KD Corporation. However, the roots of the company go back more than 100 years: in Sweden to the establishment of the medicine wholesaler Kronans Droghandel in 1907, and in Finland to the foundation of Oriola Oy in 1948.

Over the decades, Oriola has become a strong actor in the Finnish and Swedish markets, and the company has taken part in creating reliable medicine distribution that meets the demands of the modern healthcare. Since the 2000s, Oriola has further expanded and is now a comprehensive pharmaceutical expert organisation. In addition to high-quality medicine distribution, its services include pharmaceutical expert services and dose dispensing. Oriola's pharmacy business in Sweden ended in October 2022 when Oriola's Kronans Apotek pharmacy chain and Euroapotheca's pharmacy operations merged into a new company.