ORG IMS planning audit for drug sales

KOLKATA: ORG IMS Research, which is considered as the Indian pharma industry benchmark for market data, is planning to start specialised audit of drug sales. These audits are planned for drugs in diseases segments like oncology, diabetes, gynaecology and dermatology. ORG IMS plans to roll out these specialised audits in a phased manner over the next three years.

Talking to ET, ORG IMS Research MD Shailesh Gadre said these audits have been planned keeping in mind the changing nature of the pharma industry.

���A lot of drugs in the global pipeline are for niche areas that are also becoming a disease burden in India. These drugs are going to be quite expensive, will enjoy patent and require a different audit mechanism. Hence, we plan to launch these specialised audits,��� he said.

As per plans, these specialised audits will reflect much more than the sales figures. ���It will address questions like treatment protocol and diagnosis of diseases. The oncology audit is nearly ready and will be the first to be launched. Our parent company, IMS Health, already has such products for specialised audits which need to be customised for India,��� Mr Gadre said.

ORG IMS is an equal joint venture between IMS Health and ACNielsen ORG-MARG. The company has forayed into healthcare consulting some three years back which now accounts for 30-35% of the business.

���In fact, specialised audits will also increase the scope of our consulting business. Our clients in consulting include nearly all the leading pharma companies in India,��� said Mr Gadre. The company has recently launched a drug distribution audit, which can track sales in different areas in a city.


���This will help pharma companies to draft their strategies on a city-wide basis. We currently undertake this audit in Chennai, Ahmedabad, Vizag and Jaipur but, plan to take it to 15 cities by 2009,��� Mr Gadre said.