Kenyan Digital Pharmacy Network, Maisha Meds Records 1,000 Active Facilities, Opens Office in Nigeria

Maisha Meds, a Kenyan-based digital pharmacy network that offers pharmacies, drug stores, and clinics business management software and reimbursement programs, as well as patient support through its point-of-sale pharmacy app, has reached 1,000 active locations, making it one of the largest digital pharmacy networks in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Maisha Meds, which has operations in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Zambia, was founded in 2017 and has expanded to support over 4 million patient contacts annually throughout its markets with its suite of software products in just a few years.

“Today marks a significant milestone for Maisha Meds as our network reaches 1,000 facilities across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Zambia,” said Jessica Vernon, cofounder and CEO of Maisha Meds. “In the last 30 days alone, over 350,000 patients walked into one of our tech-enabled pharmacies (up from 2.5 million in the previous year), and 8,300 of these received clinically appropriate malaria, family planning, and HIV services through our health insurance-style loyalty program,” says the company.

Because it was designed for low-internet peri-urban and rural areas to link the many tiny independent facilities into a broader ecosystem, the Android-based inventory management software works in any clinic, pharmacy, or drug store, is free to download and supports offline use.

“With a focus on malaria case management, injectable contraceptives, prenatal care, HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, and COVID testing and vaccination, we are building the financial and technology infrastructure to enable global health funders to pay for health outcomes at the last mile,” Vernon said in a statement.

Apart from debuting in Nigeria, the company is also developing an e-marketplace and credit solutions for pharmacies and clinics to assist them get high-quality drugs at the best available prices. Maisha Meds is also raising between $10 and $15 million in fresh investment commitments in the coming months to expand to thousands more pharmacies across Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria.

USAID Development Innovation Ventures, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, Pfizer, and others are among Maisha Meds’ backers. Partnerships with multilateral global health funders, pharmaceutical corporations, and national health insurance funds are being formed by the firm.