Elder Pharmaceuticals has earmarked a Rs 40-crore investment for a rural thrust and set up a dedicated division called 'Elvista' to spread its network to villages, towns, sub-urban/periphery markets and hinterland districts.
The initial targets are Class II-IV towns and rural markets with a dedicated sales force of 240, a company press release issued here said.
"We plan to increase Elvista's marketing strength to about 750 by personnel by 2012," Elder Pharma's Director, Alok Saxena, said.
Elvista is targeting therapeutic categories which have greater relevance in rural areas and are preferred by doctors like anti-peptic ulcerants, anti-malarials, anti-infectives, quinolones and cough preparations, among others, the release added. The division has been launched with 16 brands including Eldervit injection and a few niche brands like Mucodyne, Mucobron, Protocream and Venex.
Elvista has already penetrated the rural markets of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra and Bihar and soon will enter the south, the release said.
Before December 2012, Elvista plans to reach 1,500 villages with populations of below 40,000, 500 villages with populations between 40,000-100,000 and over 75 peripheral villages/towns around the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Elvista's target is to cover about 5-lakh doctors promoting health education and awareness by 2012, the release said.
"Rural markets offer large potential volume growth which has not been tapped properly by most of the pharmaceutical companies. Rising rural income levels, sops by government to set up health infrastructure in rural areas, thrust on rural health programmes, emergence of lifestyle diseases and penetration of medical insurance are fuelling pharma growth in rural areas," Saxena added.
