Pharmacy2U has acquired “one of the UK’s largest” care home pharmacy providers, it announced yesterday (January 21).
The online pharmacy, which is England’s third-largest dispenser of prescriptions, said its acquisition of Care Quality Pharmacy marks “its first step into the care home pharmacy sector”.
It said care home patients aged 65 and over in England received an estimated 42 million prescriptions at a drug cost of £410m in 2024/25. That was an increase on the 40 million items prescribed the previous year, which cost £396m.
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And it added that Care Quality Pharmacy is “one of the largest care home pharmacies” in the UK, and provides prescription and NHS services to “a wide range of independent and national care home groups, extra care services and domiciliary care agencies”.
The deal follows a number of recent acquisitions by the company, including its takeover of LloydsPharmacy’s online prescription service LloydsDirect in 2024.
“Natural extension”
Pharmacy2U chief executive Kevin Heath said care homes are “responsible for an important portion of all prescription medications dispensed in the UK” and the market is “a natural extension” for the company.
He added that Pharmacy2U’s “98% medicine stock availability” means it is “a reliable pair of hands ready to support the care home pharmacy sector”.
“This acquisition is an important step in delivering Pharmacy2U’s growth strategy and is fully aligned with our approach of partnering with high-quality businesses that leverage our scale and core competencies,” he said.
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Care Quality Pharmacy managing director Usman Tahir said the provider is “delighted to be partnering with Pharmacy2U”, adding that the company has supported its growth ambitions “from day one”.
The acquisition “marks an important milestone for [the] business”, he said, “and I look forward to accelerating our growth even further this year.”
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It comes after an annual report revealed that Pharmacy2U’s pre-tax losses increased by 68% for the year ending March 31 2025.
The filing said the company’s pre-tax losses sat at £5.7m at the end of the 2024/25 tax year, compared to £3.4m the previous year - a profit decline of more than £2.3m, or 68%.
