RPG Life Sciences delivers life-saving drugs directly to patients

With the collapse of transport network in the country, RPG Life Sciences is reaching out directly to critically-ill patients via its portal to deliver medicines.

Yugal Sikri, MD and CEO, RPG Life Sciences said the  company is making medicines for organ transplantation and for cancer and hence it becomes more important for them to reach patients.
 

The company has asked its medical representatives and business development managers to deliver medicines since the lockdown began in March 22 as patients started calling the company directly.

Despite the pharmaceutical industry having the essential commodities tag, the administration, police and building societies was not allowing movement of people and products -- leading to shortage of products.  The company has three pharmaceutical plants located in Navi Mumbai and  Ankleshwar, Gujarat which are operating at 50-70 per cent of capacity despite lack of raw materials -- thanks to stock of raw materials at the factories.

"We were having problems with sourcing raw materials and finished goods to the stockists. Besides. we require specialized labour to operate the plants so we cannot just hire any person," Sikri said.

Transportation is a big issue for the industry as the trucks are not moving and the company had to arrange for its own trucks -- at a far higher cost. From the raw material perspective, Sikri said the company gets APIs (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient)  from China and at present there is no air cargo transport moving between China and Mumbai. By ships, it will be taking more time. ''The partial lock down will not make much difference to us as some of the labour travel from 90 kms and Gram panchayats were not allowing staff from travelling despite having passes," he added.

"We have arrangement for our labour to stay in Anklehswar plants.  In Maharastra, we are facing problems innter-district transfer of people. Hopefully we will see some relaxation from Monday onwards," Sikri said.