How our network started

Schuman Europe started in 2010. We have an internal market where goods, services and people can move freely. The people behind Schuman Europe observed that medical devices were not moving. We did not understand why a hospital in the Netherlands was paying twice the amount for a device compared to a hospital in Italy or Germany.We decided to do an experiment. From the Netherlands we contacted one of the firms in another member state, they referred us to their branch in the Netherlands. It was impossible for us to buy a medical device through the official network of the manufacturer other than the Netherlands. We decided to do another experiment. We contacted a hospital in a low price member state and asked them to buy a medical device for us. That worked. This is how our hospital2hospital network idea was born.

The scope of our activity is limited to the European Economic Area (EEA). Our network operates on the principle of parallel distribution. We believe that parallel distribution is desirable while it helps us to leverage the buying power of hospitals. We improve access to hospitals by keeping them affordable which is of utmost importance. We transfer genuine, original branded medical devices, authorized in accordance with EU legislation, marketed in one of the member states at a lower price and moved to another country with a higher price. This creates competition with an identical product already marketed and bought at a higher price from the manufacturer or its appointed representative.

Our day to day activities embody two fundamental principles of the EU: the free movement of goods and EU-wide exhaustion of IP rights. We help hospitals to benchmark prices through our hospital2hospital network and buy a device in case it provides strategic leverage in negotiations. Through us hospitals help each other by increasing transparency and competition.