Short-dated stock moved to a distributor that needed it, before the selling cutoff
One distributor holds a batch it will not sell in time while another cannot fill its orders. Velocity reconciles sales, stock and incoming deliveries across both, and prepares a permitted transfer for approval.
540 packs
of a short-dated batch moved to confirmed orders before the selling cutoff
400 packs
of replenishment held back from a distributor already overstocked
80 days
of shelf life left on arrival, above the 60-day rule
Every batch
at every distributor checked against its selling cutoff each week
The problem
Knowing what was shipped to a distributor does not tell you which pharmacies and hospitals received it, how fast the distributor's stock is moving, or which batches will still be on the shelf as their expiry approaches.
The answer is scattered. Sales to stores are in distributor invoices, stock and batch expiry in inventory records, incoming deliveries in order systems, and return terms and past decisions in documents and email. A person collects the reports, matches product names and pack sizes, checks the figures are current and chases distributors for what is missing. By the time it is clear, the stock is often too close to expiry to move.
What it costs today
- Medicines sent back through returns
- 3.5–4% of sales
- Value of those returns, US
- $13B+ a year
- Expired drugs written off by US hospitals
- About $800M a year
Returns share and value from Healthcare Distribution Alliance Research Foundation estimates; hospital losses from public reporting.
The solution: a team of specialist agents
Reconciliation
Collects distributor sales, batch stock and incoming orders, matches product names and pack sizes, and flags stale data.
Forecast
Estimates what will be left at the selling cutoff, showing the calculation and its assumptions.
Options
Finds confirmed demand at other authorised distributors and checks the rules for any transfer.
Execution
Raises the approved transfer and replenishment change, then follows them to receipt.
How it works
One case, step by step, in the systems the team already uses. An illustrative case: names, times and figures are representative.
09:00
Commercial lead
“Distributor D-104 holds 1,200 packs of Cardeva 10 mg, batch CV-0626, expiring 31 January. How much will it sell before the 60-day cutoff?”
09:07
Velocity · Distributor invoices · Inventory · Orders
Cutoff is 2 December, six weeks away. At 110 packs a week, about 660 sell and 540 are left. A 400-pack replenishment due Monday would add to that. Sales data runs to last Friday.
09:10
Velocity · Orders · Returns policy
Distributor D-117 has 560 packs of confirmed orders it cannot fill. A transfer between authorised distributors is permitted: 540 packs would arrive with 80 days of shelf life. $1.1K freight, latest dispatch Thursday.
09:12
Velocity · Email
Asked D-104 to confirm today's stock count before anything is raised.
11:30
Distributor D-104
“Confirmed: 1,200 packs on hand, none allocated.”
12:00
Commercial lead
“Approve the transfer, subject to Quality. Hold Monday's replenishment.”
12:05
Quality lead
“Storage conditions at both sites checked. Approved.”
12:20
Velocity · ERP · Email
Transfer raised for Thursday dispatch, Monday's replenishment held, both distributors notified. Logged to you.
Friday
Velocity · ERP
D-117 received 540 packs. Stock records updated at both distributors.
Before, and with Velocity
| Step | Before | With Velocity |
|---|---|---|
| Data | Reports collected and matched in spreadsheets | Reconciled on arrival, stale figures flagged |
| Expiry risk | Found when stock is nearly out of date | Every batch checked against its selling cutoff |
| Replenishment | Ships on schedule regardless | Held when it would add to excess |
| Options | Calls round the distributors | Confirmed demand found, transfer rules checked |
| Follow-through | Assumed done | Tracked to receipt and updated stock records |
What stays with your people
Commercial, distribution and Quality teams decide every transfer, replenishment change and return, and each is logged against the person who approved it. Distributor sales show what pharmacies bought, not what patients bought or what pharmacies still hold; that needs pharmacy records too.
Works inside
Distributor invoices · Distributor stock reports · ERP · Order management · Returns policy · Email
How a pilot runs
Four weeks on one product across your distributors, with every batch checked against its selling cutoff each week.
Questions
What does Velocity do for distributor stock and expiry?
One distributor holds a batch it will not sell in time while another cannot fill its orders. Velocity reconciles sales, stock and incoming deliveries across both, and prepares a permitted transfer for approval. The work is split between specialist agents: Reconciliation — Collects distributor sales, batch stock and incoming orders, matches product names and pack sizes, and flags stale data; Forecast — Estimates what will be left at the selling cutoff, showing the calculation and its assumptions; Options — Finds confirmed demand at other authorised distributors and checks the rules for any transfer; Execution — Raises the approved transfer and replenishment change, then follows them to receipt.
What results does it deliver?
540 packs of a short-dated batch moved to confirmed orders before the selling cutoff; 400 packs of replenishment held back from a distributor already overstocked; 80 days of shelf life left on arrival, above the 60-day rule; Every batch at every distributor checked against its selling cutoff each week.
Which systems does it work in?
Distributor invoices, Distributor stock reports, ERP, Order management, Returns policy, Email. Velocity logs in with its own account and the permissions your IT team grants; there is no data migration or integration project.
What stays with your people?
Commercial, distribution and Quality teams decide every transfer, replenishment change and return, and each is logged against the person who approved it. Distributor sales show what pharmacies bought, not what patients bought or what pharmacies still hold; that needs pharmacy records too.
How does a pilot run?
Four weeks on one product across your distributors, with every batch checked against its selling cutoff each week.
More of the work
A credit-blocked distributor order shipped the same day, inside policy
Same day
a $268K order released for 16:00 dispatch
Pharma
A safety label change traced to every affected pack in a day, before the old text printed
Same day
from approved change to every team's action list, across 46 packs in 14 markets
Pharma