Pharma Distributors: How to Vet a New Medicine Supplier in India

For a pharmaceutical distributor, the supplier is part of the brand. If a shipment arrives late, with the wrong papers or with short shelf life, the distributor\'s own customers lose trust. That is why vetting a new supplier in India deserves the same care as signing a new customer. Here is a practical way to do it. Check the licences first. Ask for the manufacturing licence, the WHO-GMP certificate for the actual production site and, if the supplier is a trader rather than a manufacturer, the drug wholesale licence and export registration. Make sure the names and addresses match across all documents. Ask for a complete document sample. Before any payment, request a sample set for one product: certificate of analysis, certificate of pharmaceutical product or free sale certificate, packing list and commercial invoice format. Gaps here usually mean gaps later. Place a small trial order. Choose two or three fast-moving products and order a modest quantity. Track every step: how quickly the quote came, how accurate the proforma was, when goods were dispatched and when documents arrived. Inspect on arrival. Compare batch numbers on the cartons with the certificates, check remaining shelf life and look at the condition of the packing. Test the complaint process. Even a small issue, such as a damaged carton, shows how the supplier responds. A clear, written reply within a day or two is a good sign. Only after a clean trial should a distributor move to full container orders and longer contracts. Vinix BioPharma has published a detailed checklist on what pharma distributors should verify in an Indian supplier, covering licences, documents and trial-order planning.