Linke Pharmacy Rises to VB100's Top 5 DTP Pharmacies Within a Year of Launch

On December 18, the “2018 Future Healthcare Top 100” forum, hosted by VCBeat, Eggshell Research Institute, and Future Healthcare Academy, and co-organized by Legend Capital, BV Baidu Ventures, and others, grandly opened in Beijing. At the event, the Future Healthcare Top 100 List (hereinafter referred to as “VB100”) was prominently released. Linke·Smart Pharmacy (hereinafter referred to as “Linke”), as a pioneer and innovator in the data-driven Direct-to-Patient (DTP) pharmacy sector powered by medical big data, was strongly selected for the “VB100 – Top 5 DTP Pharmacies” list.

It is reported that the VB100 aims to identify Chinese innovative enterprises that truly represent the future of healthcare, discover core forces for future growth, and drive innovation and transformation in the health and medical industry. The selection process launches every November and undergoes three stages: preliminary screening, review, and final approval. The final list is determined by a jury composed of industry investors, experts from various fields, and policy researchers, and is released to the entire industry at the Future Healthcare 100 Forum.

As an industry “observer” and “recorder,” VCBeat’s “Top 100 Future Healthcare Companies” list has long attracted significant attention. LinkCare, a key offline initiative of LinkDoc Technology, made a strong debut on the list after just one year of operation, empowered by LinkDoc. It is precisely the innovative model pioneered by LinkCare—daring to break through traditional barriers—that has enabled its “rapid expansion” in the DTP (Direct-to-Patient) pharmacy sector and earned industry recognition.

2018 was a landmark year for pharmaceutical industry policies. Arguably, all policy formulations were aimed at driving industry progress and ultimately benefiting patients. With the implementation of policies such as zero tariffs on anticancer drugs and green channels for the review and approval of urgently needed overseas new drugs, the supply of new and specialty drugs is set to increase. In this context, Direct-to-Patient (DTP) pharmacies have become a key channel and scenario chosen by pharmaceutical companies to ensure these new and specialty drugs reach patients as quickly as possible.

Industry researchers have pointed out that, against the backdrop of recent approvals for major imported anti-tumor drugs, public hospitals failed to complete their drug procurement procedures in a timely manner. In contrast, multiple DTP (Direct-to-Patient) pharmacies rapidly stocked these medications, enabling patients to purchase drugs safely, pick them up quickly, and use them conveniently. “This competitive time lag has allowed DTP pharmacies to better earn patients’ trust.”

Driven by favorable policies and growing patient recognition, the market size of DTP (Direct-to-Patient) pharmacies is poised for continuous expansion. Within this rapidly growing sector, Linke, a big data-driven new-generation DTP pharmacy, differs significantly from traditional DTP pharmacies. Linke has been committed to providing specialized, integrated, and multifunctional pharmaceutical care services along with one-stop health management solutions for patients with critical illnesses, aiming to create a high-quality “third living space” outside hospital settings for them.

Before entering the DTP pharmacy sector, Linker’s primary consideration was: What are patients’ true needs? This requires deeper insights into patient needs. Therefore, at its inception, Linker’s first step was to meticulously map out patients’ distinct needs across different phases—disease treatment, disease progression or repair, and rehabilitation—and to design corresponding services that precisely match these needs, thereby effectively implementing a “patient-centric” approach.

Based on comprehensive preliminary research and analysis, and leveraging LinkDoc Technology’s healthcare big data capabilities, Linke integrates the four major platform functions of “Grand Commerce, Grand Pharmacy, Grand Clinic, and Grand Classroom.” It provides patients with high-quality services, including pharmaceutical care, smart follow-up, medical finance, value-added electronic prescription services, logistics value-added services, charitable drug donations, and patient education.

Among these, intelligent follow-up stands out as a major advantage of LinkCare’s patient services. Unlike traditional DTP (Direct-to-Patient) pharmacies, where follow-ups are conducted by store managers or pharmacists, LinkCare’s follow-up services are carried out by Zero Crap Technology’s professional follow-up team. This team operates based on different disease types and patient groups, following tailored follow-up models and processes. Moreover, the entire follow-up process is subject to quality control by a professional medical team to ensure scientific rigor and precision.

Currently, each smart pharmacy is staffed with a standard team of at least four professional licensed pharmacists and experienced clinicians. The pharmacy is equipped with advanced facilities, including a full-process cold chain distribution system backed by an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Furthermore, the AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment center within the pharmacy enables services such as multidisciplinary team (MDT) remote consultations and localized patient management.

Over the past year, Linker has focused on technology, service, and innovation. Guided by the philosophy of “value-based care with patients at the core,” it has established a network of more than 40 smart pharmacies across China, covering four municipalities directly under the central government and 25 provinces and autonomous regions. The company offers 1,200 SKUs of DTP (Direct-to-Patient) products and has served a cumulative total of 20,000 patients.

Hard work yields results. LinkCare’s capabilities in comprehensive, precision patient management have earned recognition from numerous pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. The company has established partnerships with many leading domestic and international industry players and has secured exclusive commercialization rights for multiple products in the fields of critical and chronic diseases, malignant tumors, and rare diseases.

On the morning of August 29, the second day after Opdivo (Opdivo, O Drug) was approved for market launch, Harbin Linker Smart Pharmacy completed the first sale of O Drug. The pharmacy immediately inspected and stored the medication upon arrival and, within one hour, delivered it via cold-chain logistics to the hospital where the first patient was being treated, ensuring storage and transportation conditions of 2°C–8°C. The medication was successfully handed over to the patient’s family. Within four hours by 3:00 PM, the pharmacy had completed medication deliveries for five cancer patients.

On October 31, Keytruda (also known as K-Drug) was officially launched and made available to patients at Linker’s Nanwai Pharmacy in Guangzhou. As star products among PD-1 inhibitors, Opdivo and Keytruda have ushered in a new chapter in immunotherapy for Chinese patients, establishing Linker as a worthy driver of the immunotherapy era.

Driven by patient needs and supported by medical big data and clinical expertise, Linker has successfully pioneered a new chain model integrating “DTP Pharmacies + Day Clinics.” Positioned in the field of critical illnesses, it prioritizes depth over breadth in its product portfolio and precision over universal coverage in patient services.

In 2019, Linkcare will lead the DTP 3.0 era characterized by “dual drivers of medical patient education and data-empowered new retail,” enhancing the efficiency of “places, people, and products,” thereby guiding the establishment of standardized norms for the DTP pharmacy industry. Meanwhile, it will continue to expand its offline pharmacy network, deepen its presence in e-commerce platforms and training services, strengthen the development of Linkcare Day Clinics and medical consortiums, further advance intelligent pharmacy operations, implement end-to-end online pharmaceutical care solutions, and ensure that every patient receives superior pharmaceutical and healthcare services.