Ayala expands healthcare portfolio

MANILA, Philippines - Ayala Corp., the country’s oldest conglomerate, is expanding its healthcare portfolio.

 The group, through Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc., has invested in Wellbridge Health Inc., a startup that owns and operates MedGrocer.

MedGrocer is an ePharmacy and medicine benefits management service that allows customers to order medicines via the internet and have the medicines delivered directly to them.

Sought for comment, AC Health CEO Paolo Borromeo said the company acquired a minority stake in Wellbridge.

“On the pharmacy side, we are exploring new ways to reach the consumer and deliver affordable medicine. On the health tech side, we are looking to build a portfolio of innovative technology solutions across the continuum of care,” Borromeo said.

AC Health’s overall strategy is to increase accessibility and affordability in healthcare. It is constantly on the lookout for disruptive healthcare solutions that improve efficiency and integration.

Through MedGrocer’s online platform, customers can compare prices of medicines and obtain essential information for their medications prior to purchase.

 All medicines sold on the platform are certified by the Food and Drugs Agency and the transactions are verified by a licensed pharmacist.

 Aside from individual clients, the online pharmacy also provides medicines for the clinics  of its corporate clients.

For his part, MedGrocer CEO and founder Jerome Uy said the company’s goal is to make medicines accessible to consumers.

“We share the mission of providing quality medicines conveniently and affordably to consumers by using technology to eliminate the inefficiencies and assumptions that hinder pharma retail,” Uy said.

The Ayala Group’s healthcare portfolio also includes retail pharmacy chain Generika and FamilyDOC, a new chain of primary care clinics.

 Generika currently  has over 670 stores nationwide while FamilyDOC has six clinics located across Cavite and Las Piñas.

AC Health plans to bring the Generika network to 1000 stores and 100 FamilyDOC Clinics by 2020.