Carving a niche in generic drugs

Nairobi sits in the middle of the open African Savannah. Rooted in the heart of this urban metropolis, BioDeal stakes a claim in Kenya’s pharmaceutical sector.

Nairobi is the economic epicentre of Kenya. The BioDeal pharmaceutical enterprise has risen over the years from no budget at all to a turnover that would raise the eyebrows of the most astute investor. When I think of Kenya though, the first thing that comes to mind is the bush, kilometres and kilometres of golden bush blowing in the wind and herds of wild animals roaming the savannah. What I don’t think of is a thriving medical company leading the country’s pharmaceutical industry. And that’s exactly what BioDeal Laboratories is doing.

I’m a qualified pharmacist by profession and we started the business without any money, zero capital. What we do here is give opportunities to employees to develop themselves. We anchor them to be involved in the business so that they also come up with ideas,” explains one of the head pharmacists and business partners.

In a country in desperate need of professional development and ongoing skills training, opportunities are a dime in the dust.

They also are trained to hold the sense of ownership in the company so that the performance is gauged towards that ownership rather than only monetary gains”, he continues, reflecting on the sense of equitable control that pervades the business.

Kenya’s economy is still growing across most sectors, so BioDeal Laboratories kick-started their product line by making cheap generic drugs. While these medicinal products are merely ‘copies’ of original branded medication, they are far cheaper and do the same job.

Kenya isn’t a very rich country, so we decided that our products should be of quality, of high standards, but cheap enough for the people to afford,” another pharmacist says. Economies of scale seldom smelt so profitable on a continent that has a dire shortage in healthcare provision and accessible medication.

Biodeal manufactures a number of drugs for the national market, including painkillers, anti-aromatics, cough mixtures, capsules and antibiotics. So far they have managed to employ a team of 150 staff and the company is in the process of building their own factory. This will further increase job creation in the community. Giving back to their people is an important aspect of the enterprise’s philosophy and they take this very seriously.

We do a lot of charity work. We are linked up with five or six churches who do regular camps. We donate drugs for them to dispense to the poor, and we also assist with giving education and information about using the medication,” explains one of the BioDeal team members.

Luckily for the community, it seems that their health and well-being are at the forefront of BioDeal Laboratories’ business. Trusting a company may sound like a lot to expect from your average consumer, but this is Africa. Healthcare is scarce and quality healthcare priced for a low-income market needs to do the job. Biodeal does just that.