PSP started its activities in 1994 and its first appearance on the Georgian pharmaceutical market was in distribution. Initially, the distribution company PSP Centre of Introduction was founded, which became the first official distributor of European medicines in Georgia.
Step by step the company expanded its product offerings into medicines, cosmetic products, Baby food and care.
To note, the name of the company – PSP – is an abbreviation of the Latin expression ‘Paulatim Summa Petuntur’, which in English means ‘step-by-step to the peak’ and represents the company’s motto.
In his interview with Golden Brand director of PSP Pharma Vazha Okriashvili summed up the activities of PSP and highlighted some of the company’s milestones.
Q. What does leadership in the pharmaceutical market mean for you?
A. Being a leader company of the pharmaceutical market is a huge responsibility of creating a continuous opportunity for the citizens of your country to maintain a healthy lifestyle, to easily take care of their health and beauty.
Since its establishment, the company has faced different challenges in different periods. The original goal was to provide physical access to medicines and health products. This is the period when people had to ask their friends abroad to bring the necessary medicines for them in Georgia because there were no imports of medicine into the country.
PSP was the first Georgian company to import European guaranteed quality medicines to Georgia and eliminated drug shortages in the country.
The next step was to create a wide range of products and expand it in all parts of Georgia so that all citizens could have easy access to guaranteed quality medical and beauty products. In practice, it can be said that the company has achieved its goal and everyone can buy pharmaceutical products all over the Georgia at the same price, regardless of the territorial location, be it a city or a regional center.
One of the most important cornerstones of the company’s success is our team of professionals; each pharmacist, who is united around one goal: it is customer care and customer satisfaction.
PSP is a company that creates the opportunity for self-realization and allows employees to become highly-qualified staff. Proper management, a good environment, the opportunity for self-realization and continuous development attract both established professionals and young people alike. That is why more than 5,000 people are employed by PSP Pharma. Each of them is loyal to their country and its citizens, hence despite the pandemic difficulties, not a single day has been delayed in providing customers with continuous medications.
Q. How did the company cope with the challenges of 2020?
A. PSP was the first company to develop and implement an anti-crisis plan on the first day of the new reality, which included protecting employees, creating a ‘green zone’ in the pharmacy, and providing a safe environment for consumers.
The biggest challenge during the pandemic period was to ensure employee traffic during the lockdown, although PSP did its best to handle this throughout the lockdown period as well, we provided staff taxi service so that the customer was always met by the pharmacist at the pharmacy on time.
The pandemic has virtually stopped the world, we have become accustomed to lockdowns, social distance has restricted much, wearing a face mask and an emphasis on personal hygiene, while the pharmacy continues to operate continuously and provides medicines, preventive and care products.
Although in 2020 we all woke up to a new reality, life goes on, the new reality requires a different approach – we have strengthened the online pharmacy and expanded its coverage area from the capital to the major regional centers of Georgia; And we did that in the very first days of lockdown.
As the online pharmacy was created in 2007, with some financial investment, it soon became possible to expand it to the regions. Through the online pharmacy, customers can easily order the desired pharmacy product on www.psp.ge without leaving home and receive the order at the desired address easily and on time.
It is true that the pandemic has established its own rules, but despite all the regulations and complexity, our challenge is again and again to increase access to medicines and pharmacy products. For this reason, we are opening new branches, increasing the range of products in all price niches, such as medicines, beauty and self-care.
Q. What does it mean for you to be recognized as the best pharmaceutical company by the experts of the Golden Brand awards for 15 years in a row?
A. We take great responsibility for the recognition of our company as the best pharmaceutical company by experts, we are proud of this success, which is the result of the hard work and loyalty of each of our employees.