Nigeria’s existing distribution system for medicine lacks organization and a centralized national distributor. 

In a survey aimed at evaluating Primary Health Centre (PHC) facilities encompassing 2,480 health care facilities across all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, Oyekale discovered that the availability of essential drugs ranged as low as 10.48% to 25.2%. The problem of counterfeit and fake drugs has evolved into a global predicament, with particular prevalence in the drug supply networks of India, Nigeria and Pakistan. 

These three nations account for roughly 13% to 35% of worldwide sales of such illicit drugs. 

The disordered drug distribution system in Nigeria encourages the proliferation of expired drugs within pharmaceutical supply chains. The WHO estimates 100,000 deaths a year in Africa are linked to the counterfeit drug trade and over 30% of medicines sold in Africa are counterfeit. According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes, fake medicines kill over 500,000 sub-Saharan Africans per year. In an effort to combat these challenges, Samuel Okwuada and Victor Benjamin established Remedial Health, a startup company that introduced digitalization to the Nigerian pharmaceutical supply chain.

The Creation of Remedial Heath

Samuel Okwuada, one of the co-founders of Remedial Health, possesses dual expertise as a certified pharmacist and a skilled software developer. His journey into the tech realm commenced at the young age of 14, and he has been actively crafting digital solutions ever since. In contrast, Victor Benjamin’s true calling lay in the art of sales, with a passion that was evident in his over a decade-long track record in pharmaceutical sales. The fusion of Victor’s extensive sales experience, coupled with Samuel’s technological and pharmacy knowledge, has significantly elevated revenue streams and increased health care in Nigeria. 

Remedial Health was launched amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The market faced shortages because of lockdowns, exacerbated by the inefficiencies in its medicine distribution methods. Initially, Remedial Health operated by providing supplies to distributors who, in turn, served pharmacies and hospitals. However, a significant shift occurred when these intermediary entities expressed their desire to receive direct supplies. This alteration in the company’s operations led Remedial Health to reevaluate and adapt its mission and objectives. 

Its Mission and Goals

As of September 2023, Remedial Health primarily operates across 34 out of 36 states in Nigeria but has aspirations for expansion into other African nations. The company’s core mission is to assist its business partners in three key areas:

• Ensuring they have the necessary inventory for their store shelves.
• Providing software solutions to enhance the efficiency of their pharmacy operations.
• Offering payment solutions to facilitate the collection of payments from their customers.

Remedial Health collaborates with a network of over 5,000 pharmacies and partners with more than 200 manufacturers, spanning regions such as India and China. Beyond making affordable medicines more accessible across Africa, this startup is actively engaged in curbing the proliferation of counterfeit products in the market. By gathering and analyzing data on manufacturers and product sales, Remedial Health tracks the entire supply chain, monitors product distribution, determines product destinations and quantifies sales volumes. 

The products originate directly from manufacturers who have undergone stringent regulatory processes, ensuring their authenticity is guaranteed. This meticulous approach allows for a dependable supply of these medicines to pharmacies and hospitals, thus eliminating the need for the risky and uncertain traditional method of product distribution. By doing so, Remedial Health plays a critical role in elevating health care in Nigeria and safeguarding lives that might otherwise be at risk due to the presence of counterfeit medicines in the market. 

Progress and Achievements

Remedial Health has made significant progress in expanding its operations, securing a substantial $12 million in Series A equity-debt funding to facilitate the expansion of its activities within the West African nation. Their focus on rural areas, which are often challenging to access and distant from major pharmaceutical markets in Nigeria, has resulted in noticeable growth. 

By October 2021, Remedial Health had successfully deployed inventories valued at over $800,000. As of January 2022, the company has been consistently onboarding new pharmacies, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), insurance providers and manufacturers. 

Remedial Health’s dedicated team is increasing health care in Nigeria by actively tackling various industry challenges, including price transparency issues and inadequate drug quality control. They achieve this through a technology-driven, pharmacy-centered health care network, resulting in cost reductions of over 25% at the point of care. 

– Susanna Andryan
Photo: Flickr