Pharmacy software that knows every batch, expiry and H1 sale
Billing, batch stock, distributor returns, Schedule H1 records, substitute search and refill reminders for single medical shops and pharmacy chains.
Pharmacy software for Indian medical shops records every strip by batch and expiry, keeps prescription records for scheduled drugs, manages returns to distributors, suggests substitutes by composition and sends refill reminders. We build it for pharmacy chains and busy single stores that have outgrown a basic billing package.
Where the day goes wrong
- 01
Expiry losses
Short-dated stock is noticed only after it has expired, usually after the window in which the distributor would have taken it back.
- 02
Credit notes never collected
Breakage, expiry and wrong-supply returns go back to distributors, but nobody tracks whether the promised credit notes ever arrive.
- 03
H1 register gaps
Schedule H1 sales are written into a register when the counter is quiet and missed when it is busy, which shows at inspection.
- 04
Lost sale on out-of-stock brand
When the prescribed brand is out, the counter has no quick way to see which other brands in stock carry the same composition and strength.
- 05
Monthly customers drifting away
Regular customers on long-term medicines buy elsewhere when nobody reminds them that their strip is about to run out.
What we build for you
- 01
Counter billing
Fast billing by brand, composition or barcode, sale by strip or by tablet, batch and expiry on every line, and GST invoices.
- 02
Batch, expiry and rack
Stock by batch and rack location, near-expiry alerts in time for returns, and first-expiry-first-out at the counter.
- 03
Purchase entry and returns
Distributor invoices imported where possible, expiry and breakage returns with debit notes, and a list of credit notes still pending.
- 04
Scheduled drug records
Prescriber and patient details captured at billing for Schedule H1 items, printed as a ready register for inspection.
- 05
Substitute finder
Products mapped to composition and strength, so the counter sees in-stock alternatives in one search.
- 06
Refill reminders
WhatsApp reminders for customers who opt in, timed from the quantity bought and how long it should last.
- 07
Chain control
Branch-wise stock, transfers of short-dated items to the branch that sells them faster, and one consolidated purchase view.
Three jobs at one counter
A pharmacy counter balances speed, accuracy and the law at the same moment. The customer wants the medicine now. The pharmacist must hand over the right strength from the right batch, check the prescription for scheduled drugs and print a bill with batch and expiry on every line. Behind the counter, stock arrives from several distributors each day, every invoice with its own batches, free quantities and expiry dates, and short-dated stock has to go back before the return window closes. Most medical shops handle all of this with a billing package and a great deal of memory.
Where the money goes
In a pharmacy the biggest leaks are quiet. Strips that expire on the shelf are a direct loss, and they are nearly always stock that could have been returned or moved to another branch if someone had seen the date in time. Returns that do go back create a second leak: debit notes are raised, but nobody tracks the matching credit notes from distributors, and some never arrive. A third is the regular customer on monthly medicines who stops coming, not over price but because no one reminded them. And a missed Schedule H1 entry costs nothing until the day an inspector asks for the register.
What the system does
At VS Tech Builders we build counter billing that searches by brand, composition or barcode and sells by the strip or by the tablet, with stock held in the smallest unit so cut strips never confuse the count. The stock side tracks every batch with its expiry and rack location, flags short-dated items early enough to return, and keeps a running list of credit notes still owed by each distributor. When a Schedule H1 item is billed, the screen asks for the prescriber and patient details, and the register prints from that data. Products are mapped to composition and strength, so when a brand runs out the pharmacist sees the alternatives on hand. For chains, the system points out short-dated stock that another branch sells faster.
Refill reminders go out on WhatsApp, but only to customers who have agreed to receive them. A person's medicine history is information they would not want shared, so consent is recorded at the counter and reminders stop the moment the customer asks. The DPDP Act is the reason this has to be designed in from the start rather than added later.
Price and timeline
For a single medical shop, billing with batch stock, purchase entry, returns and the H1 register typically starts around ₹85,000 and takes eight to ten weeks, including moving data across from your current package. A chain with transfers, central purchasing and reminders needs the fuller system, usually priced between ₹1,50,000 and ₹5,00,000 and built over twelve to sixteen weeks. Both include the 14-day correction window after go-live, and the source code is handed over on final payment.
The right first step
Begin with purchase entry and batch stock. If distributor invoices go in correctly, with batch, expiry, free quantity and rate, then billing, returns and expiry alerts all run on clean data. Where distributors can send invoices as Excel or CSV files, importing them saves hours of typing every week. Reminders and substitute search come once the stock count matches the shelf.
When your current software is fine
Many single pharmacies already use an established pharmacy billing package, and if it handles your batches and returns well, keep it. Custom software makes sense when you run several branches, want customer reminders and reports the package cannot give, or need billing to connect with a clinic or lab in your group; our page on software for diagnostic labs covers the lab side. The custom billing versus Vyapar comparison sets out the general trade-off, and our WhatsApp automation guide covers what is worth automating and where a person should stay involved.
Frequently asked questions
Can the software sell part of a strip and keep stock correct?
Yes. Stock is held in the smallest unit, usually tablets or capsules, while purchases and the counter screen use the pack size, such as a strip of ten or fifteen. When the counter sells four tablets from a strip, stock falls by four and the remaining loose tablets stay visible under the same batch. Expiry alerts and returns work on loose units exactly as they do on full strips.
How are Schedule H1 sales recorded?
Each product carries its schedule in the item master. When an H1 item is billed, the screen requires the prescriber's name and address, the patient's name and the quantity before the bill can be saved. The register is generated from those entries in date order and can be printed or exported whenever an inspector or your own auditor asks for it, without anyone copying entries by hand.
Can we import distributor invoices instead of typing them?
Often, yes. Many distributors can send invoices as Excel or CSV files, and we build an import that maps their columns to your item master, including batch, expiry, free quantity and rate. Each distributor's format is set up once. Lines that do not match an existing product wait for a quick review instead of creating duplicates. Distributors who only send printed bills still need manual entry.
Do refill reminders need the customer's consent?
Yes. WhatsApp requires customers to opt in before a business messages them first, and India's data protection law expects consent for using personal data this way. The counter records that consent once, the reminder can carry the shop name and refill date without naming any condition, and a customer who asks to stop is removed straight away. The rest of the system works perfectly well without reminders.
Further reading
Software built for pharmacies and medical shops.
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