Scottish pharmacy groups Dears Pharmacy and Amiry & Gilbride Pharmacy have invested in 24/7 prescription collection provider Pharmatronix Limited, the company has revealed.
Pharmatronix founder Colin Simpson announced on LinkedIn last week (October 30) that the company had “secured strategic investment” from two of Scotland’s “leading independent pharmacy operators”.
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“Both groups have long been pioneers in pharmacy automation, operating 24/7 prescription lockers across 34 locations” in Scotland, Simpson said.
He added that the investment “will accelerate the UK rollout of LOCKERIQ” - Pharmatronix’s new “flagship” collection lockers - and “fuel the development of [the company’s] wider suite of automation products”.
Disrupting the market
Simpson, who previously worked as a consultant for both Dears and Amiry & Gilbride, last week (October 31) told C+D that he founded Pharmatronix in July after the manufacturer of the prescription lockers previously used by the pharmacy groups “decided to cease production”.
He approached the designer of the original lockers and asked if they would design a new version for him, Simpson said, explaining that he gave them a list of all the “problems” with the original and competitors’ lockers to address.
“We addressed almost all with the new design,” he said, adding that it “will disrupt this market sector massively”.
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Managing director and superintendent pharmacist of Dears and Amiry & Gilbride pharmacies Mahyar Nickkho-Amiry said that 24/7 prescription lockers are “an essential tool for pharmacies that recognise patient convenience and streamlined workflow as key drivers of business growth”.
“LOCKERIQ is transforming how 24/7 collection is viewed and we are proud to be part of that journey,” he added.
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It comes after a Scottish court ruled in 2023 that prescription drop-off lockers do not need to be on registered healthcare premises.
Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) had petitioned for a judicial review of decisions made by health boards NHS Fife and NHS Lothian regarding the use of prescription lockers by contractors such as Dears Pharmacy on premises that were not on their lists.
