As the number of cancer patients increases in India, the need for drugs that are most effective for treating cancer patients is also on the rise. Oncology distribution is mostly localized in India and there are only a couple of players who have pan India presence. Also, oncology is a super-specialty market with new drugs being developed on a regular basis. Many of these drugs are not available in India which can hinder patient treatment in the country.
Pharma Five is one pioneering business organization that specializes in named patient imports, and distribution of oncology medicines in India. The company focuses on importing the necessary drugs to help patients who are in dire need. Owing to its commitment to ensuring consistent quality, Pharma Five has been able to build a strong reputation, and supply to reputed institutes like CMC, Vellore, and Adayar Cancer Institute, Chennai to name a few.
Patient-centricity at its core
Pharma Five prioritizes customer satisfaction and quality of service. Over the years, the company has cut unwanted slack and streamlined its business operations, making it much more efficient and effective. Pharma Five deals with reputed distributors globally and they don’t default on delivery. The company’s tagline ‘We source globally and deliver locally’ further highlights its global sourcing network as well as its unwavering passion for helping patients. The company has a private logistics partner which has helped it to improve its distribution channels. Even when the COVID-19 pandemic posed great challenges, Pharma Five was able to overcome those hurdles and has emerged stronger.
When asked more about the company operations, the Partners, S. Dilli Babu, V. Gayathri, V. Venkataraman, and C.Sreekanth say, “The drugs directly come from the manufacturer to the Global Partners and from them, it comes to us. The patient gets the bill for everything, they make the payment through a wire transfer. In between, we also stand guarantee. The airlines as well as logistics partners insure the drug. In addition to that, we have local insurance and we have a tie-up with an insurance company. This allows us to insure each shipment locally as well.
We have been offering named patient import services for the past six years and we haven’t had any complaints regarding the delivery of drugs. 12 to 14 working days is the period in which patients can expect the delivery of the drugs after ordering them”.
After the patients contact Pharma Five, the company will approach its Global Partners, get the quote from them and give it to the patient. If the patient is ok with the quote, the import license is applied from the Government of India by the patient. Once it gets the import license, Pharma Five gets the proforma invoice from the counterpart wherever the drug is. Once the proforma invoice is received, the patient goes to the bank and does the wire transfer. Once it is done, the patient will share the acknowledgment copy with Pharma Five. After getting the copy, the company will arrange for the shipment. Once the shipment reaches Chennai, Pharma Five has a clearing agent who clears the drug. During transportation, necessary steps are taken in order to ensure that the drugs are not maintained under required cold storage. Cold chain is maintained throughout the shipment from source country to patient’s door step. Also, after the drug is cleared, the company inspects it, and sends it to the patients.
Evolving with the changing times, Pharma Five is aiming to continue its focus on distribution, & to work with more hospitals & patients
The vast experience of the Pharma Five team has played a crucial role in helping the company to overcome challenges and continue its journey to reach greater heights in the market. When asked more about the company’s team, Venkataraman says “Me and my partners have a combined experience of 80 years working in this industry, as the tag line in our logo, Care For Sure, We work on understanding the needs of the patients and offer them the best solutions. More than seeing this as a business, we are happy that we can help needy patients get the drugs that will help them. Touching the lives of patients, curing(in some cases) and extending the survival. We have had steady growth over the years. We started with just one source, and now we have expanded to six sources globally”.
Evolving with the changing times, Pharma Five is aiming to continue its focus on distribution, and to work with more hospitals and patients. The company believes that it has just scratched the surface on named patient imports and is working to expand its horizons more in this field. Pharma Five was also involved in genetic counseling for the patients called next-generation sequencing (NGS). This will allow the patients to know according to their genes, which drug will be the most effective for them. Through its offerings and by contributing to such revolutionary projects, Pharma Five aspires to help its patients lead a better life.
S. Dilli Babu, C. Sreekanth, & V. Venkataraman, Partners, Pharma Five
S. Dilli Babu is a science graduate with a diploma in Pharmacy and over 15 years of experience in Patient service. A go getter and committed professional, has worked in some of the leading pharmaceutical companies.
V. Venkataraman is an Alumni of IIM Lucknow with over 30 years of experience in handling specialty range of productsin pharmaceutical industry, he has worked in mid-level management in Pharmaceutical companies.
C. Sreekanth is a dynamic leader with more than three decades of experience in pharmaceutical business, specializing exclusively in the Oncology segment in management roles for more than two decades.
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