Three pharmaceutical companies, each a prominent industry label, recently consolidated their brand identity and operations to be a leading provider of healthcare commercialization solutions in the Asia-Pacific region.

Invida Philippines Inc. has been launched in the Philippines specialty pharmaceutical industry through the merger of PL Asia Pacific Philippines Inc., more popularly known by its brand name Pharmalink, Transfarma Philippines Inc. and Inovail Healthcare Philippines Inc. The integrated companies were wholly-owned subsidiaries of Singapore-headquartered Invida Group Private Limited that was set up in 2005 by a powerful strategic partnership of Quintiles, the world’s leading pharmaceutical services organization; a subsidiary of Temasek Holdings, one of the world’s largest investment companies; and the Zuellig Group, the largest pharmaceutical distribution and supply chain management network in Asia Pacific.

The decision to unify into a single global brand will facilitate the Invida Group’s entry into the market as one company,” says Tito Tolentino, President of Invida Philippines. He explains further, “Currently, we have a very strong, recognized capability and core competence in the area of commercialization.

As an organization, we want to leverage on this capability even more, in order to achieve significant competitive edge in the region. We want to continue to be an integral player in the industry and a preferred partner for companies wanting to enter or extend their reach, not just locally, but also to the entire Asia Pacific market. With our vast regulatory, sales and marketing footprint across Asia Pacific, we can offer our partners a single point of entry into these markets.”

Tolentino believes that as a result of the merger, “Invida has strengthened its position in the market, benefiting from the synergy of the three companies operating under a single entity.”

Synergy is a byword in the pharmaceutical world. It is usually used to highlight the therapeutic efficacy of a drug preparation generated by the combined action of the individual potent agents. With the interaction of the constituents, the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects. Such is the power Invida sees in itself.

Pharmalink made a name for itself as Asia’s leading sales and marketing organization, securing a slot in the Philippine pharmaceutical industry’s top 20. It specialized in product life cycle management and took pride in executing successful product launches, accelerating their development from the growth phase through maturity. Pharmalink positioned itself as a partner-of-choice in supply chain management and commercialization of healthcare brands, particularly for the specialized pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.

Transfarma, likewise, established itself as a leading sales and marketing organization in Asia with expertise in commercialization enterprise of healthcare products across Asia Pacific. It offered a complete range of marketing and sales services and solutions, regulatory services, orphan drug management and in-licensing for companies seeking growth in the region.

Inovail, the youngest among the three, regarded itself as the ideal partner to the international specialty pharmaceutical industry. It focused on market-driven innovation in its therapeutic areas – dermatology, complementary oncology and female healthcare. It specialized in sales, marketing and formulation development activities of high potential in-licensed products and acquired brands in its therapeutic fields.

Armed with the competencies and professionalism of the three merged corporations, Invida is confident of capturing an even bigger share of the Asia Pacific pharmaceutical market.

Invida focuses its efforts only in Asia Pacific, seeing it as a dynamic region that attracts deepening interest from multinational and even smaller pharmaceutical firms wanting to expand the reach of their businesses. It believes that the region, with its rapidly expanding economies, presents the real growth potential for the company and its partners.

At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, California last January, Invida CEO John Graham estimated the region’s market size at around US$50 billion, growing in double-digit rates, and at almost double the rate of growth of the pharmaceutical sector worldwide. The demand for private healthcare is increasing throughout the region as people spend more on their own health and the pressure on governments to provide improved healthcare for lower-income groups is intensifying.