Every day, wholesalers, hospitals, pharmacies, and patients receive their medicines and medical devices via temperature-controlled transport from Brocacef Healthcare Logistics (BHL) in the Benelux. TEVA has been a customer since the very beginning. It's collaboration that started twenty-five years  ago. Marco Groot (Supply Chain Cluster Lead, Benelux & Nordics) and Jolieke Mendrik (Patient Solution Manager, Benelux) of TEVA explain why this collaboration is meaningful for them.  

Customer and solutions oriented
Due to the considerable growth of TEVA's generic business, the need arose to collaborate with a warehousing and distribution partner. As a specialized service provider in supply chain solutions for medicines and medical devices, BHL was able to offer a total solution to meet all our business requirements. "It's been a very fruitful partnership for us, positive and constructive," says Marco. "That's mainly due to the employees' hands-on mentality. We meet each other every six weeks to evaluate the past six weeks based on the KPIs we've set. We then use that information to work together towards even better collaboration.”

“Brocacef is able to adapt quickly, which is a real added value for us."

From storage to repackaging and re-labelling on site
The collaboration is focused on logistics services in the Netherlands. Since last year, a qualified BHL Responsible Person (RP) is responsible for the market release of our goods. "Brocacef ensures that our products are stored and transported at the right temperature. Our opiates are stored in an opiate safe. The organisation also handles the destruction of rejected or expired products. They will gradually fulfill an additional role in reprocessing work, such as repackaging and re-labelling secondary packaging on site. We're familiar with each other, and Brocacef is able to adapt quickly, which is a real added value for us."

Strengthen each other
In addition to logistics services, TEVA is also co-operating with Brocacef Healthcare Services (BHS) on a patient support programme for a migraine medicine. The programme has been drawn up for a new class of medicines that are not yet reimbursed in the Netherlands. "We have decided to set up an early access program for people who are suffering from severe and frequent migraines (8 or more days per month) and don't see positive results with other medicines. This will really help put these patients back in control of their lives. With this programme, we want to maximize therapy compliance - and thus the effectiveness of the medicine," says Jolieke, who works closely with BHS on the programme. "Brocacef has brainstormed alongside us from the start of the programme, e.g. draft the protocols for the nurses. With the flexibility and hands-on mentality of BHS and years of experience at both our organisations, we strengthened each other enormously throughout this process".

“This will really help put the patients back in control of their lives.”

Specialized nurses
It is Brocacef's registered nurses who are now making patient visits at home. Jolieke: "There's nothing but positive things to say about the team of very committed, experienced and passionate nurses. They have specialist knowledge of the medicine and the indication area, due to which they can provide personal, specialized care for patients at home. The fact that BHS is part of Brocacef Group - which we also know well - has been decisive in our choice to partner with them. Brocacef gives us a sense of trust, and that's important in such a big project. The success of our collaboration is also shown in the first patient feedback: patients rate the support program with a 8.9 (on a scale 1-10)"

“We strengthened each other enormously throughout this process."