Healthcare startup CureBay has acquired the pharmacy distribution business of Saveo Healthtech in a move aimed at strengthening medicine supply chains across semi-urban and underserved markets in India. The transaction is expected to improve the company’s ability to manage last-mile medicine delivery while widening its operational reach in regions where access to reliable drug supply remains a challenge.
CureBay expands rural medicine access
The deal brings into CureBay’s fold a distribution network serving more than 10,000 retail pharmacies across southern India. It also includes distribution hubs in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, procurement systems, and a technology-led ordering platform. Financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed.
For CureBay, the acquisition is more than a scale play. It is a direct bet on supply-chain control in a healthcare market where logistics bottlenecks and stock-outs often interrupt patient care, especially outside large cities.
By adding Saveo’s distribution capabilities, CureBay is seeking to address one of the most persistent weak links in healthcare access: ensuring that essential medicines are available where and when patients need them.
The company currently runs over 190 eClincs across 15,000 villages and has already served over one million patients. It expects that with the integration of Saveo’s backend technology, inventory visibility and availability, and the overall cycle time of fulfilments will improve.
“Medicines are central to continuity of care,” CureBay founder and chief executive Priyadarshi Mohapatra said, adding that the acquisition would strengthen procurement and support faster expansion into new geographies.
The deal is operationally important as well. The combined company is expected to improve demand planning and working capital management, two of the key challenges that have affected the availability of pharmacies in rural markets historically, according to CureBay. The company is also scaling its clustered expansion model, with two clusters in eastern India reportedly operating profitably.
For Saveo, the move marks a strategic transition from running an independent distribution network to becoming part of a broader healthcare platform. Its existing pharmacy partners will remain within the system, while CureBay’s clinics are expected to gain from a stronger backend supply chain.
As part of the integration, Saveo co-founder Amit Kumar will lead pharmacy technology at CureBay, while senior executive Deepak Tiwary will oversee operations.
The acquisition also points to a broader change that is taking place in the pharmaceutical and healthcare delivery landscape in India. As companies are looking to penetrate deeper into rural markets, there is a growing interest in an overall model that includes digital and physical infrastructure.
In that context, the move by Curebay points to the fact that the growth of healthtech is no longer limited to consultations and diagnostics; it is also about controlling the supply chain that delivers continuity.
CureBay, backed by Bertelsmann India Investments, Elevar Equity and British International Investment, is positioning itself as a more integrated healthcare provider by combining consultations, diagnostics and pharmacy services for populations that are often overlooked by traditional healthcare infrastructure. The acquisition of Saveo’s pharmacy distribution business strengthens that strategy and could help the company build a more resilient medicine delivery network in semi-urban and rural India.
