The acquisition will enable Charac to work with one in five community pharmacies and deliver vital prescriptions to over 7.5 million patients across the country
Pharmacy SaaS startup Charac has confirmed the acquisition of prescription delivery management system, Pro Delivery Manager (PDM), from its shareholders, including the National Pharmacy Association (NPA).
In a press release issued on Monday, the company stated that the acquisition will empower pharmacies affiliated with it to manage medication inventory and deliveries efficiently while making it easier for patients to track, access, and receive prescriptions promptly.
Noting the doubling of medicine shortages in the UK over the past two years and the closure of over 300 pharmacies in the last fiscal year, the company emphasised that improving prescription delivery services would extend the reach of pharmacies and enhance patient access to medication.
The patient relationship management platform currently supports 20 per cent of community pharmacies across the UK (totaling over 2,000 pharmacies), reaching 7.5 million patients nationally.
Santosh Sahu, the founder and CEO of Charac, shared that he established the company in as a result of his personal challenges in tracking and obtaining life-saving prescriptions as a diabetic.
“My vision for Charac was to ensure that millions of people across the country would not face the same anxiety in accessing prescriptions, and I am delighted to say that we are now one step closer to achieving that.
“The acquisition of PDM from its shareholders, which included the NPA, makes Charac the biggest patient relationship management platform in the UK. This will enable us to work with one in five community pharmacies and deliver vital prescriptions to over 7.5 million patients across the country, ensuring greater access to medication for all,” he said.
PDM is responsible for monitoring, tracking and delivering 1.5 million prescriptions per month from community pharmacies to patients across the UK.
Gary Jones, founder and managing director of PDM, expressed that their deal with Charac will help further improve their delivery systems, ultimately benefiting UK pharmacies and their patients.
“We are delighted to be playing a part in redefining the role of our community pharmacies to make them even more efficient and effective providers of primary care, and significantly widen access to life-saving medicines,” he added.
Simon Tebbutt, director of membership at the NPA, noted that prescription delivery services are crucial for ensuring convenient access to life-saving medications for some of society's most vulnerable individuals. He underscored that new investment will guarantee the resilience and effectiveness of these services.
“Through enhanced digitalisation and greater investment, deals such as this will further improve people’s access to all the services that community pharmacies can now provide,” he stated.
Sukhi Basra