The European pharmaceutical market is characterized by traditional wholesale delivery. The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) reports that over 74% of manufacturer sales in Europe are to wholesalers, with 16% to hospital pharmacies and only 9% in the form of direct deliveries to officinal pharmacies. One percent goes right into special sales channels. The fact that the over-the-counter suppliers are the principal players in direct delivery is attributable to pressure on the bottom line and the stronger end-customer focus in the business.

Individual, customized solutions

The current market situation has grown traditionally. From a manufacturer’s perspective, there are major disincentives to wholesale supply: the risk of distributing counterfeited products, the lack of proximity to pharmacies and patients, and last but not least, the increasing vertical integration of the wholesalers. Direct delivery can play a key role, especially for comprehensive compliance solutions driven by the industry.

arvato services healthcare helps pharmaceutical manufacturers implement individual direct delivery solutions by taking on all the functions of the pharma wholesaler in the order-to-cash cycle but without trading in the medicine in any way. This means that the manufacturer maintains ownership of the merchandise until it is in the pharmacy.

Order-to-cash services

Order-to-cash services encompass order management, warehousing, packaging, shipping, transport management and finance management. A centralized IT system, which arvato services healthcare can link with the customer’s ERP system upon request, enables better and comprehensive control of the supply chain processes.

Reporting is customized to the individual needs of the customers. artis, arvato’s own in-house IT tool, handles transport management with centralized control over all transport activities. All major carriers can be integrated, so manufacturers enjoy seamless tracking and tracing of transports.

Comprehensive service

In addition to logistics, arvato services healthcare supports the sales and marketing activities of the manufacturer through professional point-of-sale and direct-marketing solutions. Industry-specific call and service centers support the direct sales and marketing activities. Special communication and dialogue solutions enhance compliance efforts.