Healthguard Infinity to reshape SL’s pharma distribution in ‘next normal’

• Sri Lanka’s first Distribution-as-a-Service (DaaS) pharmaceutical model
• A ‘one-stop distribution service provider’ to assist local and international pharma companies 

In its quest to significantly amplify value in the local healthcare ecosystem, Healthguard Pharmacies Ltd.— Sri Lanka’s leading Health and Wellness retail chain of the diversified conglomerate Sunshine Holdings PLC — announced the launch of ‘Infinity’, a fully-fledged distribution division to assist local pharmaceutical importers and manufacturers in expanding their reach among retail pharmacy outlets across Sri Lanka. 

In Sri Lanka, most pharmaceutical and healthcare product importers and manufacturers operate their distribution through individual third-party distributors. However, due to certain limitations, these distributors hit several roadblocks when providing distribution operations. Healthguard, with the backing of Sunshine Healthcare Lanka’s island-wide distribution setup, identified this strategic opportunity as a timely need for the industry as local pharma importers and manufacturers have been looking for a ‘one-stop national distribution service provider’ with fully-compliant systems and capabilities to scale up quickly.

In such a context, Healthguard’s ‘Infinity’ will be the first Distribution-as-a-Service (DaaS) pharmaceutical model to be rolled out by a Sri Lankan healthcare company. The experienced and competent team at Healthguard and Sunshine Healthcare Lanka will closely work with Sri Lankan pharmaceutical companies in managing their product distribution to island-wide pharmacies. 

The main service offerings of the newest setup include:

• Five regional distribution centres serving over 3,000 customer points across the country
• Compliant cold chain storage facility at 2-8°C 
• Well-trained and competent staff 
• Around-the-clock work teams to ensure the promise of 24-hour delivery
• Urgent order delivery, effective handling of principal product recalls and customer complains
• Fully-compliant distribution setup to meet stringent requirements of relevant regulatory authorities and principals
• Fleet of validated temperature-controlled delivery vehicles
• Real-time sales information via any device (town-wise /product-wise matrix/customer-wise) 

With new-age technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud analytics integrated to further boost the efficiency levels of these services, Infinity will be a fully-compliant service provider that will address any requirement of a local pharmaceutical importer or manufacturer from a distribution process perspective. Furthermore, it will enable these companies to grow their business reach across Sri Lanka significantly.  

Commenting on the new initiative, Sunshine Healthcare Lanka Managing Director Shyam Sathasivam said, “Pharmaceutical distributors is at the heart of the Sri Lankan healthcare sector. We play a critical role in supporting patient safety, enabling the right product to reach the right patient in a timely and transparent manner. The launch of Infinity brings a sixth vertical to our healthcare business. Our Distribution-as-a-Service pharmaceutical model is an accelerated initiative by the company to enable more agility and operational resilience in our distribution process. With the deployment of digital and analytics tools and automation, I believe our latest venture elevates Healthguard to become a master distributor for all pharma importers and manufacturers in Sri Lanka.

Furthermore, Healthguard plans to leverage Infinity as a potential growth engine to offer expanded data access and insights as a service. Positioned at the centre of the supply chain, the retail pharmacy chain could leverage the data coming in from its partners to build enhanced data capabilities through Infinity, enabling Healthguard to offer meaningful insights to local companies to develop a deeper customer understanding and increase efficiency, and benefit the local healthcare sector at large.

Sunshine Healthcare Lanka, established in 1967, is the partner of choice for international healthcare companies seeking to grow their business in Sri Lanka, in the areas of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and consumer health products. Sunshine Healthcare is a leading market expansion services provider, with the most extensive specialised healthcare team, with over 300 medical marketing and sales personnel as well as 200 physical distribution personnel.

Healthguard Pharmacy Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of SHL, has established a network of 23 pharmacies across Greater Colombo. Its modern pharmacy brand, offering a range of pharmaceuticals, wellness and beauty products has set the benchmark in healthcare retailing in the country.