In an Australian first, and fast tracked in response to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, Althea Group Holdings Limited (ASX:AGH) has developed a new online service.
Althea CEO Josh Fegan said the company’s Althea Concierge platform now caters for the online sale of all Althea products.
When used in conjunction with video telemedicine, Althea Concierge allows doctors to prescribe Althea medicinal cannabis products via the platform and patients to pay for their prescription online, with medication delivered directly to their door, eliminating the need for multiple visits to both doctor and pharmacy.
Ordinarily, a patient is required to return to the doctor and pharmacy to coordinate the paperwork of federal and state approvals for medicinal cannabis prescriptions and to secure available supply which a pharmacist usually orders only when a prescription is presented.
This contributes to time delays in commencing treatment and is burdensome for many patients with diseases or disabilities, work or family commitments, or limited movements due to COVID-19 social restrictions.
Mr Fegan said the new functionality, when used in conjunction with telemedicine, allows the interaction between doctor, patient, and pharmacy to take place online whilst ensuring all relevant approvals are obtained.
The Althea Concierge platform provides medical education and clinical evidence for Healthcare Professionals looking to prescribe medicinal cannabis. Althea Concierge streamlines the prescription process for doctors and allows patients to find prescribers of Althea medicinal cannabis in their area.
Additional features include an Australian first of online sales to patients, customisable interactive treatment plans and an independent validated assessment tool used to collect real world evidence.
The new interactive treatment plan feature allows doctors to issue personalised treatment plans directly to their patient’s phone via the free-to-download Althea Concierge App. This delivers fully customised dosage reminders to the patient, and allows the patient to record their medication usage, providing ongoing feedback to their doctor via the secure Althea Concierge platform.
We are very excited about this latest update to the Althea Concierge platform,” Mr Fegan said.
“The ability for contactless sales is probably the biggest development yet for medicinal cannabis in Australia.
“You need to have a lot more than just a quality product in the highly regulated prescription cannabis space and Althea’s ongoing investment in technology, provides us with a premium value proposition that we believe none of our competitors possess.
“We look forward to rolling out the updated version of Althea Concierge in the UK in the coming months.”