Over the last couple of years, I've noticed a new trend at several tech events and conferences: vitamin-dispensing IV drips.
It's promoted as a godsend for anyone suffering from the effects of sleep deprivation, dodgy conference food, and far too many free wines. I'm a poor journalist, so I can't say I've had the opportunity to try it myself but I like the idea.
And now, thanks to startup Get a Drip, the nexus between wellness and healthtech is getting a lot smaller, and a niche product is ushering in a whole lot of added benefits, including a GPhC registered online pharmacy.
Get A Drip was the UK's first vitamin drip company to offer a DNA testing service, launched in February 2019, analysing genetic responses to nutrients, and offering a personalised drip based on customers' unique genetic makeup. The idea for the company was inspired by founder and CEO Richard Chambers, who in 2006 on his 18th birthday, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Three years later, Richard was rushed into intensive care after suffering with complications, a journey which proved to be the start of a seven-year period in and out of hospital due to a weakened immune system.
It was his time in hospital, overwhelmed by the benefits of IV treatment as a major factor in his recovery, that acted as the catalyst for setting up the business in October 2017 in London with a clinic in Boxpark, Shoreditch, offering affordable vitamin drips and booster shots with prices starting at £30.
The company raised €4.5 million Series A in 2022, and now offers a broader array of health, well-being, and diagnostics solutions and technologies across a portfolio of 34 UK and European franchises.
These include Compression Therapy, Cryotherapy, Ozone Therapy, PBM (Photobiomodulation) / Red Light Therapy, Ozone Therapy, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Infrared Sauna, Gut Testing, Vitamin D Testing, and Blood Testing. All UK clinics are CQC registered, upholding the highest medical standards, and Get A Drip only employs registered nurses, doctors, pharmacists, dietitians, and nutritionists.
This week, the company launches Get A Drip Pharma, a dedicated pharmaceutical division specialising in seamlessly supplying, distributing, and prescribing the most competitively priced medical aesthetics, IV vitamin drips, vitamin injections, equipment, and more.
It's rolling out a patented, cutting-edge digital prescribing system, GADRx. With GADRx, practitioners can streamline orders and digitally manage the prescription process. It allows for 24/7 ordering and next-day delivery of in-stock items.
Get A Drip Pharma will offer a variety of prescription-only medicines, supplements, aesthetic products and equipment to medical professionals across the UK and is the first registered pharmacy in the United Kingdom to provide longevity coenzyme NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide).
Smaller clinics and independent medical professionals qualified to administer injectable treatments can access a bespoke service, allowing them to avoid the surcharges often faced with wider wholesalers.
Rav Chaggar, Superintendent Pharmacist at Get A Drip, comments:
"As a pharmacist, I'm proud that we can now offer the private medical sector the most competitive prices to optimise their IV and IM services.
This expansion enables us to bring our expertise directly to the point of care through an unmatched product catalogue, seamless ordering and exceptional service."
Richard Chambers, CEO and founder of Get A Drip, comments:
"The launch of Get A Drip Pharma represents an important strategic milestone, allowing us to expand our purpose of promoting health through IV drips, IM injections, and wider services beyond direct-to-consumer.
By leveraging our robust logistics infrastructure and extensive industry expertise, we can now empower independent medical practitioners with access to the gold-standard treatments their patients deserve."
The company's projected turnover of £10 million for this financial year is nearly triple the previous year's audited figure (£3.6 million).
Lead image:GADRx Digital Prescribing System. Photo: uncredited.
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