At least once a month, Bhavik Kumar, founder and CEO of Medibox, gets a panicked call. The callers are worried Indian medicine distributors, desperate to either shut down or get acquired. As the head of Medibox, a digital platform for e-marketing, e-procurement and e-distribution of medicines and healthcare products, Kumar is in a unique position. While, on the one hand, his platform helps connect distributors to pharmacies, the network he has created means that Kumar is able to help connect these beleaguered distributors to potential buyers.
out of the labyrinth
GST’s attack on pharma’s weakest link: distribution
Age: 30. Nature: Unpredictable. Size: 80,000+. Status: Diminished by 25%, in just 15 months. Prognosis: Pharma distribution is under the scalpel
Since GST was implemented, India’s labyrinthine drug distribution network has begun to change rapidly
The majority of large carry and forwarding agents and small distributors have lost business
The supply chain is now simplifying, with e-pharmacies and private equities like Everstone Capital developing their own supply chains
As drug manufacturers get closer to patients, drugs are getting more accessible. But can they get more affordable?
