Krishna Kumar P. G

Operations

The Indian pharmaceutical sector supplies over 50 percent of global demand for various vaccines, 40 percent of generic demand in the US and 25 percent of all medicine in the UK. The domestic pharmaceutical industry includes a network of 3,000 drug companies and ~10,500 manufacturing units. India is the largest provider of generic drugs globally and is known for its affordable vaccines and generic medications. Today, over 80 percent of the antiretroviral drugs used to combat AIDS globally are supplied by Indian pharmaceutical firms. India is therefore rightfully known as the ‘pharmacy of the world’ due to the low cost and high quality of its medicines. Leading in this industry by catering to around 2000 satisfied retailers, Super specialty hospitals, Institutions and Nursing Homes is Bengaluru-based Sapthagiri Pharma Distributors. The company is one of the leading names, at the top, in the Pharma Distribution industry.

The business strives to make for a positive experience through its offerings. Customer centricity is at the core of Sapthagiri Pharma in Bangalore and it is this belief that has led the business to build long-term relationships. Ensuring a positive customer experience, making available goods and/or services that are of top-notch quality is given prime importance.

In an exclusive interview with Pharma Industry Outlook, Krishna Kumar, Founder of Sapthagiri Pharma Distributors takes us through the foundation journey of his firm and shares interesting insights.

Give us an overview of your company.

The company was started in 2000 by me and my family as a single entity. Today we have 200+ companies partnering with us and we are one of the major distributors in Bengaluru. The team has a combined experience of 20+ years and each have been moulded to scale up the business. While most distributors like us have been acquired by the giant conglomerates, we have stood still, delivering day in and day out.

What are the major expectations that customers have from Pharma Distributors?

Our clients mainly comprise of hospitals, medical stores, doctors and nursing homes. Their expectations have always been quality service during the stipulated time and besides, the drugs they need, they also need to be aware of the alternatives available in case the usual is out of stock. We have delivered on this each time with our qualified professional experience.

Even during Covid, we were one of the leading suppliers of the life saving drug, remdesivir. While being available 24/7 for the medical institutions, we parallely were in touch with the suppliers to ensure we had stock of drugs that were needed in that dire time of emergency. Covid tested our capacity, but we stood still and delivered on the expectations of each our clients.

What are key points that differentiate your company from other players in this segment?

Our services, availability of life saving drugs, and knowledge helps us be on the top. We are fortunate to have some of the greatest minds working with us. They have extensive knowledge on the content of drugs, their dosage and alternatives.

In Karnataka, we are also the pioneers pharma distributor who own a website for drug dsitribution. Customers can directly register here, check the medicines, its dosage and place an order directly. They can also get in touch to understand better in case they face any confusion. Via this website not only customers, but also our sales agents on field can place direct orders for the hospitals and stores.

Where do you see this market in the near future?

The Indian pharmaceutical sector is huge and it continues to grow and shape the global pharmaceutical scenes. This has also led to enormous growth of MNCs partnering with companies like us, however, amidst this, we wish to stay independent. Be an individual entity with our own name and continue to service the market. We do not want to be a part of the change and sell ourselves to the leading corporates. We hope to continually be the leading firm in this industry and deliver seamlessly on the needs of our clients.