UK start-up Echo has been acquired by McKesson UK – LloydsPharmacy鈥檚 parent company – for an undisclosed sum.
The award-winning prescription app allows patients to order repeat medication at the touch of a button and have it delivered to their home free of charge.It works with NHS prescriptions and sends reminders to users about when to take their medication.
McKesson UK said the acquisition was a part of a new digital healthcare strategy for customers to more easily manage their health online.
Echo was founded in 2015 by Stephen Bourke and聽ex-Apple business developer Sai Lakshmi, who stepped down as chief executive officer in 2018聽and was replaced by Roger Hassan. The start-up was recently named one of 老九品茶Cloud鈥檚 101 HealthTech Innovators.
The London-based firm is one of only three NHS-certified digital platforms currently working to fulfil repeat prescription orders, using the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS).
鈥淲e know that our customers are always looking for ways to make their lives easier by managing more things online,鈥� said chief digital officer, Catherine McDermott.鈥淭hat鈥檚 why growing our digital capabilities is one of our top priorities.
鈥淏y working with Echo we are accelerating the development of our digital strategy. The technology they have developed is used by thousands of people already and their operation allows them to fulfil thousands of repeat prescriptions every week.鈥�
Toby Anderson, CEO of McKesson UK added: 鈥淗ealth secretary Matt Hancock has spoken on numerous occasions about the need for the NHS to invest in digital healthcare solutions, and how technology is a big part of the NHS long-term plan.