Pharmalink — Product Overview
What Is Pharmalink?
Pharmalink is a smart pharmacy supply chain platform built for the Nigerian market. It connects pharmacies, drug vendors, and platform operators on a single system — making it easier to manage stock, source drugs, fulfill orders, and recover value from near-expiry inventory.
At its core, Pharmalink solves three problems that every pharmacy in Nigeria deals with daily: running out of stock without warning, losing money to drug expiry, and dealing with a fragmented, unreliable supply chain.
The Problem We're Solving
Stockouts happen too often. Pharmacies rely on manual processes to know when to reorder drugs. By the time they notice a drug is running low, it may already be out of stock — causing lost sales and, more importantly, failing patients who need medication.
Drug expiry is a silent financial loss. Drugs that expire on the shelf are a complete write-off. There is currently no structured way for a pharmacy to offload near-expiry stock before it becomes worthless. That loss is absorbed entirely by the pharmacy.
The supply chain is fragmented and untrustworthy. Pharmacies source drugs from multiple distributors and vendors with no central verification system. This opens the door to counterfeit drugs, unreliable supply, and no accountability when things go wrong.
How Pharmalink Works
Pharmalink brings three groups onto one platform — pharmacies, vendors, and the platform operator (admin) — and gives each of them the tools they need to work together efficiently.
For Pharmacies
A pharmacy signs up and registers on the platform. Once verified, they get access to a full dashboard where they can see their entire drug inventory in real time, track stock levels, monitor expiry dates, and configure automatic restocking rules for each drug.
When a drug runs low, the system can automatically place a purchase order with the pharmacy's preferred vendor — no manual intervention needed. The pharmacy can also browse a marketplace to buy drugs from verified vendors or purchase near-expiry stock from other pharmacies at a discount.
For walk-in customers, there is a simple point-of-sale feature that allows staff to record sales and automatically deduct the quantity from inventory — keeping stock records accurate at all times.
For Vendors
Vendors register on the platform and submit their verification documents — CAC registration, NAFDAC numbers, and business license. They cannot list products until the platform admin has reviewed and approved their profile.
Once verified, vendors upload their product catalogue, set prices and minimum order quantities, and start receiving orders from pharmacies. They manage fulfillment from their dashboard and track each order through to delivery. Delivery is only marked as complete when the receiving pharmacy confirms it.
For the Platform (Admin)
The admin team has full visibility over everything happening on the platform — every pharmacy, every vendor, every order, and every transaction. They verify vendors, manage disputes, oversee logistics, and control the buy-back marketplace.
The admin dashboard also tracks the platform's profit margin on each order, calculated as the logistics fee charged to the pharmacy minus the actual cost of delivery.
The Buy-Back Feature
The buy-back feature is one of Pharmalink's most distinctive capabilities and a direct answer to the drug expiry problem.
Here is how it works:
Every drug on the platform has a defined shelf life. The system continuously monitors how much of that shelf life remains for each batch in a pharmacy's inventory. When a drug reaches 30% or less of its remaining shelf life, it becomes eligible for a buy-back.
The pharmacy can then create a buy-back request, selecting how many units they want to submit and at what quantity. The request goes to the platform admin for review and approval. Once approved, the drug is listed on the marketplace at a discounted price — typically 30 to 50 percent below the original unit price, depending on how close the expiry date is.
Other active pharmacies on the platform can then purchase this stock at the discounted rate. The original pharmacy recovers some of the value it would have otherwise lost entirely, the buying pharmacy gets verified drugs at a lower cost, and the platform earns a margin on the transaction.
For pharmacy-to-pharmacy transfers through the buy-back system, logistics is handled automatically by the platform — neither pharmacy needs to manage delivery status manually.
The Marketplace
The Pharmalink marketplace is where pharmacies go to source drugs outside of their regular auto-restock setup. It has two distinct sections:
From Vendors — New stock listed by verified, platform-approved vendors at standard prices with defined lead times.
From Buy-Back — Near-expiry stock submitted by other pharmacies and approved by admin, listed at a discount. Every listing shows the drug name, source, price, available quantity, and expiry date so buyers can make informed decisions.
Pharmacies can filter between the two sources, add items to a cart, and check out directly from the platform. Payment is deducted from their platform wallet, and stock is automatically updated in their inventory once the order is confirmed.
Logistics & Order Tracking
Every order on Pharmalink goes through a defined logistics journey with status updates at each stage — from the moment an order is placed through to final delivery confirmation. This applies to both vendor-to-pharmacy orders and pharmacy-to-pharmacy buy-back transfers.
For standard orders, the receiving pharmacy is responsible for confirming delivery. An order is only marked as delivered when the pharmacy actively confirms receipt. This protects pharmacies from being charged for orders they did not receive and keeps vendors accountable for fulfillment.
Verification & Trust
Trust is built into every layer of Pharmalink.
Vendors must submit their CAC registration, NAFDAC numbers, and business license before they can list a single product. Until admin approves their profile, their catalogue is not visible on the platform. A clear banner on their dashboard reminds unverified vendors of their status.
Pharmacies go through a registration process that includes their PCN license information. This ensures that only legitimate, licensed pharmacy operators are accessing the platform and purchasing drugs.
This two-sided verification system means that every transaction on Pharmalink happens between verified, accountable parties.
Wallets & Payments
Each pharmacy on Pharmalink has a platform wallet. All purchases — whether from vendors or the buy-back marketplace — are paid for from this wallet. Pharmacies can top up their wallet balance and optionally enable direct debit for seamless automatic payments.
Every transaction is logged with a full history — debits for purchases, credits for buy-back sales — and pharmacies can download invoices, purchase orders, and statements from their filing section at any time.
Who Is Pharmalink For?
Independent pharmacies that want to stop losing money to stockouts and expiry, and want a reliable, verified source for their drug supply.
Pharmacy chains with multiple branches that need centralized inventory visibility and streamlined procurement.
Drug vendors and distributors who want a direct, digital channel to reach licensed pharmacies across Nigeria without relying entirely on field sales.
The Nigerian healthcare supply chain as a whole — which needs more transparency, accountability, and efficiency at every level.
Built With
- react
- supabase
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