Working with partners to help them succeed

At Dr Reddy’s, we understand that any successful venture towards meeting patient needs around the world means helping and enabling our partners to succeed. Through our diverse portfolio of products, we meet different requirements for each partner across the healthcare spectrum. This includes supplying key active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to partners who formulate medicines.

A few months ago, we joined hands with one of our Russian partners to supply the API Rituximab, which goes into the making of anti-cancer medication. It was a large order, in fact the largest consignment in volume we had ever handled for this molecule. It was tricky business — Rituximab is manufactured in liquid condition then stored and transported frozen at -20°C in small shipments. Two to four kilograms per shipment is the norm, but this order required us to transport 10kilograms in each shipment. The task appeared daunting, but we were committed to help our partner who needed deliveries quickly to ensure their supply chain isn’t disrupted.

A cross-functional team sprang into action, ideating ways to get the job done. With flights not operating normally thanks to the pandemic, logistics went through several options before zeroing in on the most cost-effective and reliable one. Similarly, our QC, QA, warehouse, packaging, supply chain and commercial teams went beyond their comfort zones to ensure the operation was a success.

For example, the QC team had to redo documents and conduct tests to meet Russia’s specifications. Given the tight time frame, they had to get it right the first time, which they did. Then, there was the issue of safety. Dry ice is used to keep the product in a frozen state, but it can be dangerous if handled carelessly and carriers impose limits on the amount of dry ice they allow on board, since it converts into carbon dioxide in the air. To help our teams in labs, oxygen sensors were set up at short notice. Plus, the bulk of the shipments were processed during Sakranti, which meant several employees were on leave. But the team got the job done.  

Our takeaway? Commitments to our patients and partners remain mere words unless we fulfil them every single time. Pushing ourselves beyond what we are comfortable doing — this is how we keep our promises.

‍