Zuellig wants open source database for all pharma products in the market

BANGKOK, Thailand —Zuellig Pharma Holdings Pte. Ltd. said it is now working with other pharmaceutical companies to create an open source database for end-users to trace and track products in the market.

In an interview with Zuellig Pharma SAP and IT Solutions head Daniel Laverick, he said the company is now working with German software provider SAP SE for a new software.

"It's something that there's been discussions internally on how we do that, and how we position that, and we're working closely with SAP," he told reporters here.

"Can we come up with some sort of package solution which is backed by SAP and then it becomes a solution everyone can use," Laverick added.

This comes as Zuellig developed eZTracker, which uses blockchain to address counterfeit products, cross-border trading and product recalls.

The program, downloadable on the mobile phone, will scan the barcode of a medical product and will be able to distinguish the authenticity of the product, where it was manufactured, and other information available.

However, the program only covers products being distributed by Zuellig.

"It has to get to a point where this becomes something that our competitors (have), we can work together and put it all into one place," said Laverick.

"We're quite cognizant that this cannot be a Zuellig product in effect, because what value does it give to an end-user or an end-patient if they go into a pharmacy or whatever, and they can only scan 50% of the products?" he elaborated.

According to Laverick, the company has allocated $50 million for its Zuellig Health Solutions Innovation Center since 2017.

This includes the development and expansion of the company, of which majority of its IT solutions are made in the Philippines.

"The core IT development team fundamentally sits out in Manila. That is where the majority of our people sit," he explained, noting that some 300 members of the IT team are based in Manila.

"As part of that whole overall investment, the Philippines is basically the ones who will benefit from it. The team we have in Manila is probably 90% of the IT that we have in the business," Laverick added. —LDF, GMA News