A century of making healthcare more accessible in Asia
Since its founding, Zuellig Pharma has developed into an innovative healthcare services provider – and it envisions a sustainable, tech-driven future of healthcare.
Zuellig Pharma has accelerated expansion plans for its distribution facilities over the past three years to ensure ample capacity to support COVID-19 vaccination rollouts across the region. Photos: Zuellig Pharma
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In the thick of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Zuellig Pharma worked closely with governments in Asia Pacific to make COVID-19 vaccines more accessible, leveraging digital technology and its wide distribution networks.
Its ZP Therapeutics division was also involved in the distribution of the mRNA Moderna vaccine in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. The partnership between ZP Therapeutics and Moderna was borne out of Zuellig Pharma’s long-standing presence in Asia, with 100 years of developing expertise in distribution alongside medical and commercial services that support healthcare needs in the region.
In deploying the COVID-19 vaccines, Zuellig Pharma uses innovative solutions like the eZCooler, a sustainable cold chain packaging insulation system introduced in 2016 that can maintain temperatures of as low as -40 degrees Celsius for temperature-sensitive products. This allows transit time to be extended from two to five days, enabling medications to become more accessible to rural areas.
Said Mr John Graham, CEO of Zuellig Pharma: “We see tremendous growth opportunities in Asia, the world’s most populous region. Our deep knowledge and understanding of its varied geographies, demographics and healthcare infrastructure have enabled us to unlock its vast potential and build strong partnerships in supporting healthcare systems and facilitating access to healthcare.”
NAVIGATING CHALLENGES AND CHANGES
Since its founding in the Philippines, Zuellig Pharma has survived challenging times and emerged stronger time and again.
The 1940s were especially tough as World War II interrupted international trading operations and resulted in the destruction of the company’s office and warehouses during the Battle of Manila in 1945. Undeterred, the company rebuilt its operations when World War II ended. It embraced a new business model offering clients a spectrum of marketing, distribution and logistical services – the beginnings of its base for large-scale distribution operations.
The company was rebranded in the 1990s as Zuellig Pharma from its original name, F E Zuellig. In 2015, its regional head office relocated to Singapore, and in 2017, the company launched Zuellig Health Solutions, an innovation centre for the development of data, digital and disease management solutions.
“Staying focused on our mission of making healthcare more accessible throughout major historical events over the past century has enabled us to continue operating and maintaining strong growth while building our strength, resilience and adaptability as an organisation,” said Mr Graham.
The COVID-19 crisis presented opportunities for the company to undergo transformational change by harnessing artificial intelligence, robotics, big data and machine learning tools to drive operational agility and efficiencies.
In particular, the implementation of robotic process automation (RPA) solutions ensured business continuity during lockdowns. Said Mr Graham: “Through extensive data analytics dashboards and tools that gave us access to supply chain analytics and demand forecasting, we were able to help customers make more dynamic decisions around product movement.”
To further improve customer experience, Zuellig Pharma launched eZRx, a business-to-business e-commerce portal where customers can place orders for prescription drugs, medical devices and consumer health products. By automating the sales processes, the platform reduces reliance on face-to-face interactions while improving efficiency and ensuring product integrity.
SHAPING THE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE
With offices in 13 Asian markets, Zuellig Pharma is well-placed to fulfil the healthcare needs of its customers. Its tailored end-to-end services include clinical trial management support, commercialisation, market expansion, product distribution as well as digital solutions that improve healthcare access and patient outcomes.
A key subsidiary of Zuellig Pharma is MiCare, which administers and manages medical claims on behalf of insurance companies and self-insured corporate clients in the region. MiCare also builds applications that link key players in the healthcare sector to facilitate claims management.
Expediting access to new and innovative medicines is Zuellig Pharma’s Clinical Reach arm, which harnesses knowledge of the region’s diverse regulatory landscape to support seamless clinical trials and hasten drug approvals.
The ZP Therapeutics team provides a full array of commercialisation services for companies looking to bring their products to market, including strategic planning and execution, regulatory support, medical affairs, sales and marketing, market access and alliance management.
PROMOTING A PEOPLE-ORIENTED CULTURE
People lie at the heart of Zuellig Pharma’s success. Its employees serve over 350,000 medical facilities in Asia and work with the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Zuellig Pharma’s people-centric focus is part of its sustainability-oriented approach to business, which comprises four themes: Nurturing talent, setting the highest standards of integrity, improving health outcomes and respecting the environment.
“These themes guide everything we do,” said Mr Graham. “We are proud that our sustainability efforts have been widely recognised through multiple accolades, such as the EcoVadis Platinum Award, which we received in 2021 and 2022.” The Platinum Award is the highest accolade awarded by the sustainability ratings specialist.
Another important aspect of Zuellig Pharma’s sustainability roadmap is diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The company is committed to promoting a culture where everyone enjoys equality, regardless of age, race, gender or other unique personal characteristics. To better engage employees, it holds regular DEI webinars on topics such as intergenerational communication.
Looking to the future, the company is leading the charge towards eco-friendly operations by launching electric vehicle fleet pilot programmes, installing renewable energy solutions and developing innovative access solutions for pioneering medicines.
Said Mr Graham: “Our approach to business has always involved looking beyond immediate needs to consider the long-term future of our employees, clients and customers. Sustainability is an integral part of the way we run our business and ensures that we continue to operate our business in a manner that maximises impact for all our key stakeholders and the communities we serve.”
For more information on how Zuellig Pharma is making healthcare more accessible and sustainable in Asia and beyond, visit zuelligpharma.com/.
