By Neil Trainis

Pharmacy2U, the UK’s largest online pharmacy, has become a member of the Company Chemists’ Association.

In a statement released today by the two organisations, the CCA’s chief executive Malcolm Harrison (pictured) said it had accepted Pharmacy2U into its membership because some of the former's companies run their own distance-selling pharmacies and “having the largest DSP in England join the CCA” was “a natural fit.”

The CCA and Pharmacy2U also said their ambitions for the delivery of easily accessible healthcare and continuing development of community pharmacy’s offering were “strongly aligned.”

“With a central ambition of supporting access to more convenient and sustainable NHS pharmacy services that are built around patient needs and preferences, Pharmacy2U is strongly aligned with the CCA’s mission of enabling community pharmacy evolution,” the statement said.

Pharmacy2U said its “current focus is on exploring how it can support” the delivery of NHS England’s Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care and insisted it looked forward to working with the CCA and its member companies “on delivering shared goals for the future of pharmacy.”

Pharmacy2U’s CEO Kevin Heath said he was looking forward to meeting the CCA’s “broader membership” over the next few weeks and months “and sharing our own insights as to how the pharmacy sector can deliver for patients now and in the future.”

“I am confident that, as part of the CCA, we will be able to play an even greater role in ensuring the pharmacy sector is able to cope with, and even thrive against, the growing demands placed upon it,” he said.