Superdrug has launched an online doctor service in an effort to boost its presence in the healthcare market.

Superdrug healthcare director Steve Gray told C+D yesterday (July 25) that the service aimed to capitalise on the growth of Superdrug.com and the increasing demand for online health information.

The online doctor site, which launched on Tuesday (July 23), is run in partnership with health information organisation Health Bridge and offers GP consultations online or over the phone between Monday and Friday.

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	Superdrug is one of the last major multiples to launch an online doctor service, with Boots, Lloydspharmacy and the Co-operative Pharmacy already offering similar services.

The Superdrug service will cover a "wide range of issues", including sexual health and travel medicine, with costs starting at less than £30, the multiple said.

"This is part of Superdrug's strategy to have a bigger presence in the healthcare market," Mr Gray explained. "Working with Health Bridge brings their medical expertise together with Superdrug's wider online customer base to offer a wide range of healthcare services."

Mr Gray would not reveal how many users Superdrug was hoping to attract with the service, but said its research had found more customers were going online for health information.

Last year, researchers found that 13 per cent of UK pharmacy customers had used online pharmacies and a third of these expressed intentions to use internet services more frequently.