The Changing Face of Pharmacies

THE CHANGING FACE OF PHARMACIES I What’s up, bot?

A GULF NEWS SPONSORED SUPPLEMENT

The global pharmacy sector sees rapid evolution with revolutionary pharma shipment models and fresh retail concepts, even as the UAE sets the bar with robots dispensing over-the-counter meds, says Sankar Sri Pillai

t’s not all sci-fi anymore. The UAE set a benchmark for the pharmacy sector in the region early last year when the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) inaugurated its first robot pharmacy at Rashid Hospital in January.

Dispensing medication with just the click of a button based on a bar code, the robot according to the DHA minimises human error and can store up to 35,000 medicines while dispensing up to 12 prescriptions in less than a minute. Humaid Al Qutami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of the DHA, announced that the authority would be adopting the robot across all DHA hospitals.

The robot, a smart technology initiated by the authority to meet the 2016/2021 strategy and that aims to achieve a happy and healthy society, has since been installed at a second smart phar-

Locally Established, Globally Awarded!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018

macy in Dubai Hospital, in August last year.

Global sales for the pharmacy sector topped a trillion US dollars as far back as 2014, proving how large a role the sector plays in healthcare revenue streams.

The evolution of pharmacies therefore, to meet the needs of patients and customers more quickly and efficiently is as pressing as it is in every sector.

The big shift

Technology has played a critical role in the shaping of many sectors in the last century and the healthcare industry has gained immensely from this trend with rapidly evolving medical instruments and machines acting as catalysts to simplify modes of prevention, cure and early diagnosis. Its role in the evolution of pharmacies is also very real.

CONTINUED OVERLEAF

“In line with the UAE’s vision to offer world-class healthcare, BinSina Pharmacy is fully committed to offer convenience and excellence to consumers looking to adopt a healthy lifestyle with a premium range of products and the most exclusive brands, in addition to the best expert advice in the healthcare sector.”

Zaid S. Al Khayyat Managing Director, BinSina Pharmacy Shutterstock

2

THE CHANGING FACE OF PHARMACIES

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018 PARTNER CONTENT

DOCIB

Inspiring better health D

Innovative interiors revolutionise retail concepts for pharmacies, seen here at De Lairesse Apotheek in Amsterdam CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

What’s up, bot?

Healthcare on demand is virtually an unchartered territory for the retail pharmacy industry, with online players such as Amazon and logistics behemoths such as DHL offering revolutionary models to disrupt the pharmacy sector as we know it.

The click pill

Amazon’s purchase of mail order start-up PillPack in June this year cleared the air on speculations that it wished to make inroads in the online pharmacy space. A Bloomberg report in June suggested the acquisition would give Amazon an immediate nationwide presence in the prescription-drug market in the US, while putting its tremendous resources to work behind PillPack’s efforts at offering a better experience for those ordering their drugs by mail.

Mail order prescription revenues declined in recent years in the US and this new tie up is expected to reverse the trend with

the considerable experience and innovation in online retail that Amazon brings to the table.

The way pharma shipments are conducted could also change. A report published

by DHL in July last year titled The Future of Life Sciences and Healthcare Logistics emphasised among other things on the healthcare-on-demand mantra, or on-demand-delivery, which includes the trend towards home-based patient care, as online pharmacies, point-of-care diagnostics and remote monitoring impact healthcare.

Back home, UAE-based Aster DM Healthcare, among the leading region brands showcased an app at Arab Health in January that would enable patient’s medication delivered home in under an hour at no extra service charge.

Dr Azad Moopen, chairman and founder of Aster DM Healthcare group, explained the process while speaking to Gulf News: “The way it will work is that when a doctor gives a prescription, the patient can upload the picture of the prescription and other verification documents like Emirates ID and health in-

surance (card). Our call centre will process it, get approvals and your location so the nearest Aster pharmacy to your home is able to deliver it within 60 minutes.” The online pharmacy app, now live can be downloaded for Android and Apple.

Chilled out spaces

However, technology is not the only means of disruption.

Experimenting with interior concepts provide fresh appeal as well. Standalone pharmacy brands such as De Lairesse Apotheek is pioneering the trend. Specialising in homoeopathy and natural medicine, the brand’s pharmacist, Marjan Terpstra wished to create a space that promoted harmony between nature and retail.

A hollowed out tree trunk sheathing the structural steel column appears to anchor the floating white counter top, a curved pharmacy wall housing 522 transparent drawers in a floor-to-ceiling format stocking the pharmacy’s products, and a herb garden cultivated alongside the pharmacy, help the retail store promote quirky yet brilliant design sense with retail sensibility. n

O C I B HEA LTHCARE GROUP was founded in the year 2000 by late Dr M.K. Ibrahim, a visionary in the healthcare sector and who served the UAE population as a consultant anaesthetist for over three decades.

Dr Ibrahim passed on his legacy through the healthcare services provided by DOCIB to the people of the UAE. The most important principle of our founder was patient care, which even today guides all that we do through the LuLu Group of Pharmacies, DOCIB Nutrition and DOCIB Clinic. We are present in all the seven emirates, reaching out to people of all social and economic classes, ensuring good health and wellness to all. In 2015, the firm’s current CEO, Shinsi Ibrahim took on the responsibilities of carrying forward the legacy and dreams of her father and Founder Chairman, Dr Ibrahim.

Our tagline, Inspiring Better Health is our commitment to society, not only to provide patient care through the Docib Clinic but also provide responsible retailing through our pharmacies and nutrition centres and be the destination of choice for health and wellness awareness. We actively conduct free health

screening through our clinic and regularly instill health awareness by participating in social health programs like World Health Day, World Heart Day, etc., in collaboration with LuLu Hypermarket.

In our march ahead, besides being predominantly present in LuLu Hypermarkets, we have started expanding by opening community pharmacies positioned across the UAE to serve the larger community.

Our commitment of serving the country and the people with whom we live, is our prime goal and we strive to continuously innovate and meet the healthcare needs of even the weakest person in society by providing unbeatable value for their money.

Our staff are trained to serve both patients and customers through our DOCIB values, integrity, commitment, relationship, excellence, innovation and com-

munication.

Today’s fast paced lifestyle and stress are the major contributors to most of the ailments that we suffer. This makes it even more important to focus on a holistic approach in providing information and inspiration to adopt a balanced diet, healthy habits, regular exercise and regular check-ups at the clinic.

DOCIB Healthcare provides the best answer to good health and wellness. n

“The focus of DOCIB Healthcare is to ensure happier and healthier lives. DOCIB Healthcare provides holistic care that makes you feel special by placing much needed qualified and trained professionals. We will continue to expand our footprints and support the advancement of health care in UAE. We believe in inspiring better health through high quality, accessible and affordable preventative healthcare solutions.”

Shinsi Ibrahim, CEO DOCIB Healthcare Group

PARTNER CONTENT

BOOTS MIDDLE EAST

Personal customer care and a welcoming shopping environment B

oots Middle East is part of the Retail Pharmacy International Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance and has 138 stores across six countries in the Middle East: the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Walgreens Boots Alliance is the largest retail pharmacy, health and daily living destination across the US and Europe.

A combination of Walgreens and Alliance Boots, the company was created in December 2014 by bringing together these two leading companies, two iconic brands with complementary geographic footprints, shared values and a heritage of trusted health care services through pharmaceutical wholesaling and community pharmacy care that date back more than 100 years.

The first Boots store in the Middle East opened on May 18, 2006 at the Kuwait Airport.

The successful opening in Kuwait was followed soon after by stores opening up in the UAE in July, 2006, Bahrain in January, 2009, Qatar in December, 2010 and KSA in January, 2011. Most recently, Boots opened in Oman in January, 2016.

Within the last 12 years, Boots has become one of the largest health and beauty retailers in the region. Its own brand ranges including No7, Soap & Glory, Botanics, YourGoodSkin and

more have become increasingly popular with beauty conscious customers, while its pharmacists and healthcare teams are renowned for offering excellent help and advice. Mike Wanliss, Vice President, Boots Middle East, says, “We now have a solid network of Boots stores across the region, which offer a fantastic range of health and beauty brands, as well as excellent customer service.

We are extremely proud

of our achievements in the Middle East.” Boots started out as a family-owned pharmacy in Nottingham, England in 1849 when John Boot opened his first herbalist shop. Today, Boots is one of the most recognisable names on the British high street with over 2,500 stores across the UK. The iconic Boots brand started with the imagination and foresight of one man, John’s son, Jesse. He believed that people were

paying too much for basic healthcare and set out to challenge this by deciding to make his own, innovative products at good prices. And not just to make them – but to make them exceptionally well. In doing so, he set the values that Boots still holds by today.

Boots still believes in Jesse’s philosophy of employing experts in its shops worldwide to provide the best advice to its customers. The brand’s purpose

is to help its customers look and feel better than they ever thought possible.

Boots’ reputation is built on over 160 years of providing consistently high standards of customer service. It is very important that Boots’ customers all over the world can enjoy the same levels of personal customer service, a truly unique product range and a welcoming shopping environment, all at great value. n

THE CHANGING FACE OF PHARMACIES

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018

Pharmacies to dispense generic medicine as first choice in Abu Dhabi

Traditional pharmacies can survive disruptive models The list of pros is small but sufficient for survival and growth

The Department of Health’s ruling is aimed at stimulating growth in local industry rom September 1 this year, Abu Dhabi-based pharmacies will dispense generic medicines as the first choice to all patients as per a ruling by the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi. Those preferring a specific brand will have to cough up the price difference.

The regulation, circulated on July 23 among healthcare providers, pharmacies and insurers by the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi is expected to expand choices for customers while providing a boost to local and regional pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Pharmacies will have to dispense generic drugs to custom-

F

ers, typically drugs manufactured locally.

A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that is made of the same chemical compounds as the original patented drug. As the active chemical substance in the generic option is the same as in the patented drug, the generic drug is believed to offer the same levels of efficiency and cure as the patented medicine.

The manufacturing process of the generic drug as well as its formulation, taste, colour and packaging may however differ. Patients can choose to stick with a preferred brand of medicine instead of the generic variant but will have to pay the difference in price. The differ-

3

ence between brand names produced abroad and their generic, local variants could be as much as 70 per cent in some cases.

With patients having to co-pay a part of the total amount for their prescribed medications, opting for the generic drug could help reduce expenses.

As part of standard international practice, physicians have been allowed to prescribe medicines using only the name of the active pharmaceutical ingredient, preventing them from promoting a particular pharmaceutical brand. Medicines produced under different trade names in different countries exist, but the active ingredient remains the same.

Shutterstock

M

obile healthcare solutions play a critical role in the pharma market and are poised to change the way healthcare functions. It is a relatively recent development, but offers the potential to bolster a more efficient healthcare system. However, where does that leave traditional pharmacy models?

Challenges such as smaller, more focused markets, shorter shelf lives as well as efforts in maintaining those strong supply chains have been pressing.

What helps though is the fact that smaller, stand-alone traditional pharmacies have been flexible and have quickly adapted to change. Disruptive models have been analysed and quickly integrated by these players in the past in ways that best

serve their growth. Big online retailers such as Amazon who are keen to disrupt traditional pharmacy retail have the edge when it comes to factors such as technological expertise, innovation and customer service. But innovation ranks high on the list of pros for stand-alone pharmacies too — remember, they are quick to adapt to change.

What they also excel in is offering the personal touch, the one-to-one that they enjoy with their neighbourhood customers, something that goes a long way in building the goodwill so necessary to see any business model thrive in the long term.

Interacting with a chatbot could be fun but unnerving for many conventional customers using online retail services, who usually end up missing the

live voice at the other end. Interacting with your neighbourhood, friendly pharmacist over the counter is reassuring then.

Again, while technology may be the key differentiator between big and small retailers, what is important to note is that even though smaller pharmacies may be perceived as being behind the technological curve by many, their smaller scale of operation allows them to adapt and implement changes faster than their bigger rivals usually can.

Community pharmacies can position themselves as innovators — all that is required is for them to be open to the idea of change and disruption.

It may be a tough pill to swallow but recovery is assured in the long term.

Shutterstock

ADVERTISER’S CONTENT

BINSINA PHARMACY

“The main criteria we judge our business by is customer satisfaction” Zaid S. Al Khayyat, Managing Director, BinSina Pharmacy talks about the evolution of the sector and the UAE brand’s expansion plans and growth strategy

T

he Managing Director of BinSina Pharmacy, Zaid S. Al Khayyat talks about the evolution of the sector and the UAE brand’s expansion plans and growth strategy.

When was BinSina Pharmacy launched and how many branches operate here in the UAE? The first BinSina Pharmacy launched in 1965 in Naser Square in Dubai. The brand has charted an amazing growth story since and currently has around 90 pharmacies operating here in the UAE.

1

How has BinSina Pharmacy used its customer-centric approach to revolutionise business in the pharmacy sector?

The main criteria that we judge our business by is customer satisfaction. People come to us when they are ill, to treat an ailment, so what we are pushing for is building trust and goodwill because we believe this is key when it comes to matters of health. When people are scared and worried, they need to feel that whoever they are speaking to is trustworthy. So essentially, our pharmacists are a key factor to our success.

“Our pharmacists are a key factor to our success.”

ZAID S. AL KHAYYAT Managing Director, BinSina Pharmacy

is an indicator of the quality and advancement of a society. As such Binsina pharmacy gives back to society by adopting CSR initiatives such as blood donations, fund raisers, and supporting key health causes in the UAE such as autism, diabetes, breast cancer, among others.

2

What are the values added that BinSina Pharmacy provides its customers?

Firstly, its expertise. Our pharmacists are experts in medication and medicine.

3

The UAE government is pushing for medical tourism in a big way. What is BinSina Pharmacy doing to positively impact this field?

BinSina hopes to provide free health checkups for tourists visiting the UAE, something that is part of our growth strategy and for which we are in consultation with the government.

Tourism, be it medical or otherwise is big here in the UAE and with some of our biggest pharmacy stores being already present in malls in the UAE, being able to provide a helping hand to tourists by being their pharmacy of choice when it comes to health

7

Again, it’s about the prevention of sickness. Second, our product range. We retail a lot of brands both medicine and non-medicine related, covering medium and high range products here at BinSina. Last and most important would be customer service once again. Our customers will continue to remain our main focus. We also try to be as conveniently located as possible and try to position ourselves in points that are customer centric, in supermarkets such as Carrefour, for example.

Please share a generic overview on the pharmacy sector in the UAE. What are the trends?

A lot of pharmacies are now opening here in the UAE, the sector has really picked up in the last few years, with roughly around 3,000 pharmacies in the market today.

It is attracting new players despite the fact that the business is generally tough to get into with the stringent regulations that bind the health sector in the UAE. Besides, the margins are regulated as well.

4

A lot of pharmacies initiated home delivery services for potential customers over the last few years. Please share some innovative concepts that BinSina Pharmacy pioneered in recent years.

It’s true that many pharmacy outlets are offering home delivery as an option.

However, we refrain from that because we don’t wish to do a simple medicine delivery service, we wish to be available on hand for our customers at all times. So yes we will be launching a home delivery service in

5

due course but it is going to be unique, very different.

We are also looking at a mobile app model.

BinSina was among the first pharmacies to initiate CSR initiatives.

When did this start, please share details about some recent initiatives.

BinSina Pharmacy drew itself a plan of action to expand on the idea of generosity as a key feature of Emirati society by supporting humanitarian initiatives in the country, stressing on the fact that humanitarianism

6

checkups is I feel a positive step.

How has the pharmacy sector changed or evolved in recent years, where do you see the brand in the next decade?

Retail as we know it is changing globally and specially in the UAE with ecommerce playing a major role. However, if this raises questions about whether online retail will take away the brick and mortar from pharmacy businesses, my answer would be no. Yes, ecommerce could possibly cannibalise a bit of the business but if regular stores are able to capitalise on their respective ecommerce windows, these would be treated as just another store.

Hence focusing on ecommerce and where your customer will be is critical.

Besides, BinSina has aggressive expansion plans in the future and eventually beyond the UAE to the GCC to markets in Kuwait, Amman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

8

4

THE CHANGING FACE OF PHARMACIES

SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2018 ADVERTISER’S CONTENT

ASTER PHARMACY

Innovation and customer satisfaction helm growth strategy for regions leading pharmacy retail chain T

he word Aster is synonymous with the term Healthcare in the region today.

What started as a passionate Doctor’s mission to treat people well and provide affordable healthcare to everyone in the year 1987 has now transformed into one of the largest healthcare set ups in the region.

Aster Pharmacy, a division of Aster DM Healthcare is backed by almost three decades of experience in pharmaceutical retailing. Recognised today as the region’s leading pharmacy chain, Aster Pharmacy started this journey with just one pharmacy in 1989 with a vision to create customer centric and easily accessible friendly pharmacies in every neighborhood that “deliver good health and happiness”. Today, Aster Pharmacy has become a household name in the UAE and has emerged as the brand of choice amongst pharmacies due to its solid availability, customer first orientation and its commitment towards fostering innovation.

Aster Pharmacy has already dotted the GCC healthcare landscape with over 200 pharmacies thereby touching upon the lives of millions. Driven by a zeal to innovate & excel, Aster Pharmacy has led various first-of-its-kind unique initiatives in the region – to name a few: • Aster Pharmacy is the only pharmacy chain that offers its customers a 24/7 access to a pharmacist providing personalised customer service via its

The changing face of Aster Pharmacy — The UAE’s 1st eco-friendly pharmacy at City Centre Deira

dedicated contact center (800-700-600).

Customers can access a dedicated team of multilingual pharmacists who counsel & provide healthcare advice round the clock.

• Aster Online, UAE’s first online pharmacy www.asteronline.com that allows you to shop for wide variety of non-pharmaceutical & OTC products at a click of a button and also enables you to upload your prescription from any remote location to get your medicines delivered

anywhere in Dubai.

• Aster Secure Rewards Program, the first pharmacy rewards program in the region, now with more than 300,000 happy and secured customers, • Another first-of-itskind initiative is the Aster Pharmacy at Deira City Center; this is the regions first Eco-friendly pharmacy that is made up of 80 per cent recyclable material.

With every new innovation, Aster Pharmacy works incessantly to bring itself closer to its customers so as to fulfill its mission of having an Aster pharmacy in every neighborhood and a knowledgeable

Aster Pharmacies has already dotted the GCC healthcare landscape with over 200 pharmacies thereby touching upon the lives of millions by going beyond boundaries, both in terms of products and services.

Aster pharmacist available 24/7 for every house hold!

The concept of a “friendly neighborhood pharmacy” is not only a statement but a deep-seated philosophy for the brand. Every aspect of the business is meticulously planned to ensure that our customers get the best of everything. Right from being present in every neighborhood, to offering a pleasant ambience with ease of navigation, acceptance of the widest insurance network, extensive range of products along with our friendly and courteous staff makes Aster Pharmacy the pharmacy of choice for all.