"Give life a chance" was the motto under which Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s largest provider of dialysis products and services, informed employees in Bad Homburg yesterday about organ donation. Individuals not only need to be well informed and carefully consider whether or not they wish to make an organ donation: Above all, they need to make a decision. 

"Fresenius Medical Care supports organ transplantation,” said Dr. Katarzyna Mazur-Hofsäß, Fresenius Medical Care's Chief Executive Officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa. “For our patients with chronic kidney disease, a future worth living includes hope for a transplant, and that is exactly what we are preparing our patients for in our dialysis clinics. We want to educate and inform today, because during their lifetimes many people do not make a decision about a possible donation of their organs.” 

Mayor Alexander Hetjes of Bad Homburg welcomed Fresenius Medical Care’s support for organ transplantation. “I’m very happy when companies in Bad Homburg also get involved in debates about social issues,” the mayor said. “To me it’s important to talk with many people about organ donation, so that we can all be better informed when making this very personal decision.”

Two organ donor recipients reported on their experiences via video, and medical information was explained to the employees by Dr. Anja Brückel of the German Organ Transplantation Foundation. "In Germany, more than 9,000 seriously ill people are waiting for a donor organ,” Dr. Brückel said. “For them, transplantation is the only way to survive or significantly improve their quality of life. However, this is only possible if people are willing to donate their organs. That’s why it is important to address the issue of organ donation during one’s lifetime, make close relatives aware of the decision, and fill out an organ donor card.”

The foundation made organ donation cards available to interested employees. Mayor Hetjes, Dr. Mazur-Hofsäß and Dr. Brückel together planted a traditional gingko, the tree of life, in front of Fresenius’ new EK3 headquarters building. And after a raffle among employees raised €770 the company announced it would increase that amount 10-fold, for a total donation of €7,700 to Kinderhilfe Organtransplantation, a German charity that supports children undergoing transplants and their families.

Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s largest provider of dialysis products and services, today announced that Standard & Poor’s has upgraded Fresenius Medical Care’s corporate credit rating to BBB with a stable outlook from BBB- with a positive outlook. Fresenius Medical Care is rated investment grade by the three leading rating agencies Standard & Poor’s (BBB/stable), Moody's (Baa3/stable) and Fitch (BBB-/stable).

Standard & Poor’s has revised Fresenius’ corporate credit rating to BBB with a stable outlook from BBB- with a positive outlook. Fresenius is rated investment grade by the three leading rating agencies Standard & Poor’s (BBB/stable), Moody's (Baa3/stable) and Fitch (BBB-/stable).

Standard & Poor’s has revised Fresenius’ corporate credit rating to BBB with a stable outlook from BBB- with a positive outlook. Fresenius is rated investment grade by the three leading rating agencies Standard & Poor’s (BBB/stable), Moody's (Baa3/stable) and Fitch (BBB-/stable).

Fresenius Medical Care, the world’s largest provider of dialysis products and services, is investing in further growth. At the Annual General Meeting in Frankfurt today, CEO Rice Powell explained the company's growth strategy: “We will be investing to the benefit of our patients – in innovation, efficiency and areas of growth. We have already taken important steps in this direction: We want to continuously improve dialysis care in a number of ways. Because we are vertically integrated, we are ideally placed to develop innovations for a range of applications, from diagnosis to treatment.”

A large shareholder majority of 89.78 percent approved the company’s 22nd consecutive dividend increase. The dividend will be raised from €1.06 to €1.17, an increase of 10 percent. 

With large majorities, the Annual General Meeting elected two new members as shareholder representatives to the Supervisory Board: Dr. Dorothea Wenzel, Executive Vice President and Head of the Global Business Unit Surface Solutions at Merck KGaA, and Professor Dr. Gregor Zünd, Chief Executive Officer of the University Hospital of Zurich. The two by-elections were necessitated by the departures of Dr. Gerd Krick and Deborah Doyle McWhinney from the Supervisory Board last year.

Shareholder majorities of 56.81 and 52.32 percent, respectively, approved the actions of the General Partner and the Supervisory Board in 2018.

At the Annual General Meeting, 76.68 percent of the subscribed capital was represented.

The next Annual General Meeting is scheduled for May 19, 2020.

Fresenius remains on course for growth despite some recent challenges, Stephan Sturm, CEO of Fresenius, told the Annual General Meeting in Frankfurt today. “2018 was not an easy year, and yet it was a successful one,” he said in a speech to shareholders. “Fresenius is in very good shape. All indications point to continued, profitable growth.”

The basis for this will be increased investments in the current business year, Sturm said. He confirmed the global healthcare group’s ambitious targets¹ for 2020 to 2023 of organic sales growth averaging 4 to 7 percent annually and an average increase in net income² of 5 to 9 percent.

“What we do is more important than ever,” Sturm said. “The healthcare market is growing. People are living longer, and around the world the demand for high-quality medicine is rising. Needs and expectations are also changing: It is no longer about preserving lives, but about raising quality of life for people well into old age. It is also about keeping quality healthcare affordable. These are big challenges! But challenges that we are superbly positioned to meet.”

¹ Before special items
² Net income attributable to shareholders of Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA

Shareholders approved with a majority of 90.96 percent the proposal of the General Partner and the Supervisory Board to increase the dividend for the 26th consecutive time. It was raised by 7 percent, to €0.80 per share.

Shareholder majorities of 98.49 percent and 87.53 percent, respectively, approved the actions of the Management and Supervisory Boards in 2018.

At the Annual General Meeting, 72.46 percent of the subscribed capital was represented.