The All Kerala Chemists and Distributors Alliance Ltd (AKCDA Ltd), the proposed entity of All Kerala Chemists and Druggists Association (AKCDA), will be having a full fledged Drug Information Centre in its premises shortly after it becomes functional on June 17.

Though the investment for the Drug Information Centre and the space in which it would be constructed has not been decided upon, A N Mohan, president, AIOCD and the managing director of AKCDA Ltd told Pharmabiz that the Drug Information Centre help in sharing information about the side effects and other information about the drugs.

"It is very much essential to provide value added service through the new company. The company will provide all the essential information about the drugs, that is why we desire to have a Drug Information Centre as a part of the company," said Mohan.

He said that moreover it was essential for people to know about the quality of drugs available and the importance of asking for the bill on purchase of medicines. Hence the information centre will help create awareness among the people regarding all these issues.

Speaking about the proposed company he said it was coming up with an investment of Rs 25 crore for which shares have been collected from its members at a value of Rs 10 per share. The company would procure drugs from the manufacturers, store it and distribute it to the dealers or pharmacies at a subsidized rate. He said that negotiations with the manufacturers were in process now.

"We have already inaugurated the company on April 11 and it will become fully functional by June 17. We are in the process of negotiating with the manufacturers for procuring medicines from them. We will also see to it that the medicines so procured are stored under prescribed conditions and later it would be given to pharmacies and distributors at a subsidized price," he said.

As Pharmabiz had reported earlier, In the initial stage, the company is planning to cover the generics and anti-cancer and anti-retroviral medicines market in the state through 450 existing stockists and dealers. The company will also provide drugs to the hospitals and doctors through the system.

Later, the company will add prescription drugs into its sales portfolio in exclusive market rates. The company expects an additional investment of Rs 200 crore for this expansion. It also has plans to directly import cancer drugs from multinational pharmaceutical companies, Mohan said.

The business model of Kerala will be followed by the AIOCD affiliates in West Bengal, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh too. The move is part of all India organization's efforts to resist the threat to the traders from the organised retail and wholesale players.