Starting a PCD pharma franchise is not difficult, but doing the steps in the wrong order wastes months. This is the right sequence.
Step 1 - Get the drug licence first
This is the first job and the one that takes longest. No genuine company will supply you without a drug licence - it cannot, because Schedule H products legally require one.
The drug licence comes from the Drug Control Department of your own state. You will need a wholesale licence. Get your GST registration done alongside it.
Step 2 - Decide your district and your range
The question to ask is which doctors your area actually has. Plenty of orthopaedic surgeons means an ortho range. Plenty of gynaecologists means gynae. In a smaller district, a general range plus antibiotics is the safest combination.
Write down the 20 to 25 doctors you can realistically call on, and choose the range from that list.
Step 3 - Check the company
This is the step people rush, and the one they regret. At the very least, look at:
- WHO-GMP certificate - ask for the actual copy, a line on a website is not enough
- Drug licence number - verify it
- Product list with compositions
- Whether monopoly rights come in writing or only verbally
- Factory visit - a genuine company does not refuse
The full checklist is in this post.
Step 4 - Confirm district availability
One thing worth understanding here. We run 8 marketing divisions, which means every district holds eight separate monopoly slots. If one division is already allotted, another is often still open.
So do not give up when you hear that a district is booked - ask which division is free.
Step 5 - The first order
Our minimum order is Rs. 25,000. Trading orders are 100% advance.
Do not take too many products in the first order. Start with 15 to 20 that your doctors genuinely prescribe, and add to the list later.
Step 6 - Get the monopoly rights in writing
Rights should come on official letterhead with full documentation. A verbal promise is worth nothing the day it is disputed.
Step 7 - Start calling on doctors
Promotional material comes with the order - visual aid, product cards, LBL pamphlets, doctor reminder cards. Aim for 8 to 10 doctors a day. The first two or three months are the hardest.
How long it all takes
- Drug licence - the longest part, and it varies by state
- Choosing a company and signing - a few days
- First stock - dispatched two to three days after payment clears; up to a week for distant locations
- Business starting to move - usually three to four months
Worth noting: in PCD the stock reaches you in two to three days because it is already made. Building your own brand takes 30 to 45 days, because the goods are manufactured from scratch.
Ask about your district - we will tell you the same day which division is open.