AxisIQ for pharma distributors

AxisIQ for pharma distributors: batch and expiry on every stock lot, near-expiry returns, automatic expiry claims on principals and chemists on credit.

AxisIQ is software for pharma distributors and stockists in India that keeps every strip of stock on its batch and expiry: GRNs that record what arrived, stock batches that move from saleable to near-expiry to expired, chemist retailers on credit, near-expiry returns with batch-wise lines, and expiry claims raised on the principal the moment a return is approved. The Distribution & Wholesale template sets it up at signup, and Ask Axis, the built-in assistant, adds the fields a pharma trade needs — drug licence numbers among them.

Where a pharma distributorship loses money

Pharma distribution runs on thin margins and short shelf lives. A distributor carrying a few company lines supplies hundreds of chemists and nursing-home pharmacies, most on 15 to 30 days' credit. The pains are specific:

• Expiry is a slow leak. Stock bought in bulk for a scheme sits until three months before expiry, when chemists stop accepting it. Without batch-wise visibility, it is found during the annual stock-take.
• Returns arrive in a carton, unsorted. Chemists send back expired and near-expiry strips mixed across companies and batches, and the credit note is issued before anyone checks what can be claimed.
• Expiry claims go unfiled. The principal reimburses expired goods only against a claim with batch details, within their window. A claim not raised is money written off.
• Credit and licences live in different places. The chemist's outstanding is in the billing software; their drug licence copy is in a file in the office.

How the template covers it

Batches from the day they arrive. A GRN records the principal's invoice number, invoice value and any shortage or damage, and moves from unloading through checked to accepted or disputed; accepting it marks the Purchase order received. Each Stock batch carries batch number, product, godown, the GRN it came on, manufacturing and expiry dates, on-hand quantity, reorder level and a status — saleable, near expiry, expired or damaged. Products carry a Batch & expiry tracked flag, MRP, PTR, purchase rate, HSN code and GST rate.

Returns with batch detail. A Sales return — numbered automatically, SR-2026-0001 — records the chemist, the principal, the invoice it is against, the reason (expiry, near expiry, damaged, wrong supply, slow moving) and the credit value. Its Return lines carry product, batch number, expiry, quantity and rate — exactly the detail a principal asks for.

Expiry claims opened automatically. When a sales return is approved, the template's flow opens a draft Principal claim of type expiry / damage for the same value, linked to the return. Accounts then submits it and tracks it through under review to settled or rejected, with the settled amount recorded, so short settlements are not lost.

Chemists on credit. Retailers have an outlet type (chemist is built in), GSTIN, credit limit, credit days, outstanding and a credit-hold status. The home dashboard shows overdue receivables, outstanding by age and the invoices to chase. Payments record the cheque or UTR number and who collected them, and the GST tax invoice layout prints each bill as a PDF with both GSTINs, taxable value and GST.

What to ask Ask Axis to add

• "Add drug licence number (Form 20B and 21B) and licence valid-till date to retailers, and a drug licence field to principals."
• "Add a dashboard table of stock batches expiring in the next 90 days, by principal and godown."
• "Add pharma categories to products: tablets, syrups, injectables, ointments, surgicals and OTC."
• "Add a widget showing retailers whose drug licence expires this month."
• "Add a cold-chain flag to products and a storage temperature field."

Ask Axis changes the live workspace under your permissions and asks before anything destructive. Example data never sets off the automations and is cleared in one click from Settings → Industry template, removing only the template's own rows. With Work Queues, a GRN can be checked carton by carton against the principal's invoice, and a returns desk can scan cartons in as they arrive (barcode guide).

One honest limit

AxisIQ does not check drug schedules or enforce regulatory rules — it will not stop a Schedule H or narcotic sale, verify a licence with the authority, or produce a drug register in a prescribed format. Licence numbers are fields you keep; compliance stays with your pharmacist and your processes. Near-expiry status is also not set on its own: a batch is marked near expiry by your team, guided by a report of batches nearing expiry.

FAQ

What software do pharma distributors use for batch and expiry tracking? Many use a billing package with a batch field. AxisIQ keeps a stock batch record per batch, godown and GRN with manufacturing and expiry dates and a saleable, near-expiry, expired or damaged status, linked to returns and claims.

Can AxisIQ raise expiry claims on principals? Yes. An approved sales return opens a draft expiry/damage claim on the principal for the same value, and the return lines carry batch, expiry and quantity for the claim.

Can I store chemists' drug licence numbers? Yes — ask Ask Axis to add licence number and validity fields to retailers, and a dashboard widget for licences expiring soon. AxisIQ stores them; it does not verify them.

Does AxisIQ do Schedule H or drug compliance checks? No. There are no drug schedule checks or regulatory registers; AxisIQ tracks stock, credit, returns and claims.

Can I see which batches are close to expiry? Yes. Stock batches carry expiry dates, so a report or dashboard widget of batches expiring in the next 30, 60 or 90 days is one request to Ask Axis.

Start with the Distribution & Wholesale template — or see AxisIQ in action. Back to AxisIQ for distribution & wholesale.