Specific Pharma came to be when the Danish pharmaceutical wholesaler Nomeco began getting requests from pharmacies – could Nomeco find vital medicines for their patients, medicines that were not marketed in Denmark and thereby unavailable? Nomeco could certainly help accessing unlicensed medicine, but at one point, the requests were so many that a separate company was established to deliver this specialised service.
In 2010, Specific Pharma was founded and ever since, we have seen an enormous growth. Even though we serve a niche area in the pharmaceutical industry, our service of procuring unlicensed medicines is in high demand – also across the Danish borders, and thus we quickly tuned to a global view. Today, half of what we do is export, and we are the largest provider of unlicensed medicines and clinical trial supply in the Nordic countries.
Delivering The Right Medicine Fast is no Simple Task
Finding the right medicine for a single patient is no simple task. It is detective work and a race against time. Fortunately, we already have more than 1,000 products in our product range that we can provide quickly. New products are always put through our extensive quality assurance to make sure the supplier is reliable. This procedure is important, as counterfeit medicines is an increasing problem.
Clinical trial supply procurement is a large part of what we do. Pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies need medicines to compare their products against, so as to maximise the effect of a drug, while reducing the side effects. Eventually, this work helps millions of patients to get through symptoms and disease quicker and easier.
Although our part in this process is small compared to the companies, who develop the medicines, we are proud to help their work along.
When Unlicensed Medicines Save Lives
One time, Specific Pharma was contacted by a Danish hospital who had an entire family with severe and life threatening symptoms caused by a poisonous fly agaric. The entire family were served a dish with a mushroom, however, they had not realised that the mushroom was poisonous, as it looked like one that was commonly used for cooking in their home country.
The medication they needed was not marketed in Denmark. Nevertheless, Specific Pharma found the medication in Germany by engaging our professional sourcing team. In close cooperation with the logistic team and transportation partners, the medication was flown in over the weekend. Time was crucial if the family’s lives were to be saved. Fortunately, the medicine got there in time.
When Unlicensed Medicines Save lives
Fortunately, it is not always a matter of life or death. Unlicensed medicines have also been used to save a circus show. The show was put in jeopardy when the lead sea lion went into heat. She could not perform in this condition, and unfortunately, the medication, that could stop the hormonal situation was not marketed in Denmark – but only in the US.
The circus vet contacted Specific Pharma, and in close cooperation within our teams (from sourcing, to sales, to purchasing, and logistics) the medication was imported to the unfortunate sea lion. The show must go on! And so it did.
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