Script Assist has secured three new partnerships for its new software as a service (SaaS) medical cannabis prescription management platform, just weeks after launching.
UK medical cannabis clinics Integro and Cannim, along with IPS Pharmacy, are the latest to utilise Script Assist’s technology, following closely in the footsteps of CB1 Medical and Jersey-based clinic Medican.
As the company prepares to expand its footprint into new markets and bring even more partners on board in the UK, Script Assist’s CEO Ben Hamburger told Business of Cannabis: “We’re thrilled to expand our reach with these new partners. Each partnership highlights the versatility and strength of Script Assist’s technology, tailored to meet diverse needs in the industry.”
What happened?
Last month, Business of Cannabis reported that Script Assist’s medical cannabis technology platform, which aims to enable an efficient medical cannabis journey for clinics, doctors, and patients, was launching on a software as a service (SaaS) basis for the first time.
Ever since, its client roster has expanded rapidly, with a number of further partnerships with big medical cannabis players set to be announced in the coming weeks.
Its new partnerships with Integro Clinics and IPS Pharmacy will see its technology, which can be fully customised and tailored to the client’s individual needs, integrated into their patient-facing platforms.
A representative from Integro Clinics said: “We are excited to announce our partnership with Script Assist, which will revolutionise patient care at Integro Clinics. Our bespoke app will enable patients to effortlessly submit enquiries, book and join consultations, and enable expedient processing of their prescriptions.
“With accurate tracking and seamless digital payments, we are set to enhance the patient experience significantly. This collaboration underscores our dedication to delivering outstanding healthcare across the UK.”
IPS Pharmacy stated: “IPS Pharmacy is proud to announce our partnership with Script Assist, which will greatly enhance patient access to medical cannabis. Through our bespoke app, patients will view precise inventory availability levels, make payments, and track their orders with complete accuracy.
“This integration ensures full transparency and ease of access to their medication. As an organisation dedicated to meeting the unmet medicinal needs of patients and leaders in healthcare innovation, we are excited to offer this enhanced service, providing superior care to patients across the UK.”
For Cannim, Script Assist’s full platform, including prescription tracking and inventory management, will be integrated to help support the launch of a new UK clinic.
Cannim’s UK Commercial Manager, Tim Henley, said: “Cannim are delighted to announce after a long exhaustive selection process that the Script Assist team and platform have been selected to build our truly unique and innovative UK Cannabis clinic launching in September. Ben and Arjun along with the entire team at Script Assist have been incredibly responsive to our needs.
“Cannim are building a truly science-led approach to the personalised health and wellness space and absolutely believe our partnership with Script Assist will be transformational in the area. Watch this space for our launch.”
Looking ahead
According to new figures from the UK’s Care Quality Commission (CQC), the number of prescriptions for unlicensed medical cannabis in England more than doubled last year.
‘The safer management of controlled drugs: annual update 2023’, published earlier this month, shows that 177,566 cannabis-based products were prescribed between July 01, 2022 and June 30, 2023, up from 81,476 items in the same period a year earlier.
To meet this growing demand, Mr Hamburger suggests that the solution lies in driving greater efficiency in the country’s existing medical cannabis infrastructure, rather than opening more clinics.
He explained: “As we see it, the problem for the industry does not lie in an insufficient number of clinics or healthcare providers to meet patient demand, but rather in enabling those clinics to serve high volumes of patients without sacrificing patient care. That’s the problem we chose to solve.
“Fundamentally we want this sector to thrive and grow – and that requires improved patient and clinic experience. We want our partners to do well and work closely with them to do just that; our platform’s flexibility allows it to adapt to changing needs and operational processes, making it a long-term solution for our partners.”
Rather than set aside considerable time and capital expenditure on building a proprietary platform, something Mr Hamburger suggests is ‘costly, time-consuming and fraught with risks’, he believes clinics are now coming around to the idea of using third-party technology.
“The market is recognising the value of sophisticated, reliable tech solutions for medical cannabis. The complexities of regulatory compliance, inventory management, and patient care require more than just a basic software package,” he continues.
“The most common complaint you hear from patients is that the data presented to them via a portal or an Excel file simply isn’t accurate. Over the next couple of months, for a substantial proportion of the current patient population, that problem will be a thing of the past.
“Patients will have precise transparency of what is available when they request a repeat, and whatever they request is immutably reserved for them. That change alone is going to feel as if the UK’s medical cannabis market is modernising and maturing.”
