McKesson UK has announced its acquisition of Echo, a UK online prescription fulfilment business.
 
According to McKesson, the acquisition is part of its new digital healthcare strategy, centred on providing easier ways for customers to manage their health online. Some 29 million people in the UK are estimated to require repeat prescriptions and the number of people choosing to manage this process online continues to increase. Echo has a number of existing customers registered with its service, McKesson said.
 
Toby Anderson, ceo at McKesson UK said: “I’m really excited to welcome Echo into our McKesson family. Working together, we can deliver an even better digital experience for our customers.
 
“The world of healthcare is changing and a big part of that is the growth in online health apps. Health secretary Matt Hancock has spoken on numerous occasions about the need for the NHS to invest in digital healthcare solutions, and how technology is a big part of the NHS Ten-Year Plan. With our existing customer-base and Echo’s tech, we can help people to take more control over how they manage their health online.”

McKesson UK chief digital officer Catherine McDermott said developing digital capabilities was a "top priority" for the company.