Tokyo and Osaka, December 16, 2014
Fujitsu Limited and Fujitsu Systems West Limited today announced the launch of the FUJITSU Life Science Solution tsPharma Actual Dispenser Data Management, a service for pharmaceutical companies in Japan to manage data on the actual sales of drugs by wholesalers to dispensers, such as drug stores and hospitals. The new service, offered from today, was developed by Fujitsu Systems West Limited.
This service offers business software and a private cloud service, bringing together the Fujitsu Group's expertise gained from a lengthy track record of deployments, as a system for managing sales to actual dispensers(1), which, up until now, pharmaceutical companies have had to build and operate themselves. This means that in addition to enhancing the efficiency of managing data on sales to actual dispensers and improving data management accuracy, including data on sales to wholesalers, it enables the cost of deploying and operating systems to be reduced, compared to systems customers build themselves. It also makes possible flexible systems support to accommodate future changes in the structure of drug distribution.
This service has been implemented in advance by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation and Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., with service already in operation.
Background
In Japan's pharmaceutical industry, individual pharmaceutical companies are required by regulations to relay safety information relating to their products to the entire distribution chain, and it is necessary for them to manage data of actual sales by wholesalers to drug stores and hospitals. For this reason, pharmaceutical companies are provided with data on sales to actual dispensers and, up until now, had to build their own systems for managing this data. These same systems have also been used to manage basic data on targeted marketing and sales promotion activities with respect to drug sales and distribution.
However, as the industry moves to reduce domestic healthcare costs and works to restructure drug distribution channels, such as with business collaboration between pharmaceutical companies in certain areas and organizational changes among wholesalers, pharmaceutical companies have found their existing systems for managing sales data to actual dispensers to be limited in terms of system structure and scalability, and they have also found it difficult to deal with the operational burdens these changes entail. In addition, reducing the costs of maintaining and managing these systems is a common challenge for all pharmaceutical companies.
In order to deal with these challenges and to respond flexibly to changes in the industry, Fujitsu is now offering tsPharma Actual Dispenser Data Management, a service that reduces operational burdens and deployment costs.
Service Features
1. A cloud service able to meet the unique needs of each pharmaceutical company, at low cost
Using Fujitsu's expertise in systems for managing data on sales to actual dispensers, gained through a track record of numerous deployments, Fujitsu is offering business software that supports the requirements of each pharmaceutical company and a private cloud service that enables deployment and operational costs to be reduced. The system is equipped with a full array of features based upon Fujitsu's years of support for this area. When incorporating actual dispenser data into the system from the industry value-added network (VAN)(2), the system is equipped with functions that can automatically correct errors resulting from mistakes and inconsistencies in the data provided by the wholesaler, functions that enable customers to deal with special circumstances, such as changes in the organizational structure of wholesalers, and functions that bring visibility to work processes, enabling work relating to actual dispenser sales to become more efficient and data to be more accurate.
In addition, the system includes timely features that can be tailored to the sales strategies of pharmaceutical companies, such as the ability to handle such new business needs as the increasingly common joint promotions of new drugs among pharmaceutical companies and centralized procurement of drugs among multiple medical care institutions.
2. A comprehensive service that combines actual dispenser outsourcing and sales analysis templates used for sales activities
The Fujitsu Group provides its high quality services through an "actual dispenser data service center" that brings together system engineers with expertise in actual dispenser data work. Not only does it perform the actual dispenser data work common to all companies, it can also flexibly respond to the individual needs of customers.
The Fujitsu Group implements in an integrated and optimal way what was previously done individually by pharmaceutical companies. This includes the changes in both the system and work necessitated by developments such as consolidation or organizational changes among wholesalers or changes in the industry VAN format. This enables customers to substantially reduce their operational burden.
1) An Actual Dispenser Data BPO Service (optional) that does actual dispenser data work
An outsourcing BPO service, available since 2010, is offered as an optional service for tsPharma Actual Dispenser Data Management. Customers can outsource highly specific actual dispenser data work with ease, enabling resources to be shifted to more strategic work.
2) An Actual Dispenser Data SFE Template (optional) that analyzes sales performance
With an Actual Dispenser template, customers can from multiple perspectives analyze and put to use actual dispenser data critical to sales strategies. The data that results can be used to formulate sales plans and evaluate sales activities, which can then be reflected to sales strategies.
Deployment Examples
This service has been implemented in advance by Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma and Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries, with service already in operation. Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma is aiming to further streamline costs of actual dispenser data work, and Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries is using this service as a platform for future sales activities.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing and Availability
| Product Name |
Price (incl. tax) |
Availability |
| tsPharma Actual Dispenser Data Management |
Initial deployment by quotation
Work package: From JPY 800,000 per month
Cloud service: The above work package plus an outsourcing contract with a data center specified by Fujitsu (by quotation) |
From December 16, 2014 |
| Actual Dispenser Data BPO Service (optional) |
By quotation |
Currently offered |
| SFE Template (optional) |
By quotation |
Currently offered |
Sales Target
Implemented by 20 pharmaceutical companies by fiscal 2016 (Fujitsu's fiscal year ends March 31).
