No one likes waiting for their medicine at a pharmacy, yet it’s a scene we’re all familiar with. You’d rather be resting in your bed with hours of Netflix ahead of you, but instead you’re standing at the back of a line with other patients.
In the face of this unpleasant and inefficient system — and in typical startup fashion — Capsule wants to make sure you never wait in line at a pharmacy again.
In March of this year, New York became the first state to require all prescriptions be filed electronically by physicians. To ensure prescription pads, and notoriously bad handwriting, don’t persist, doctors will be fined or even imprisoned if they fail to comply with the new regulation.
With the new law in place came the market opportunity, which Capsule is quickly seizing. The company was founded by Eric Kinariwala, who now serves as CEO, and Sonia Patel, who now serves as Chief Pharmacist, in May. While Capsule does not have any physical ‘pharmacies,’ the platform is rebuilding the pharmacy experience by providing an on-demand service for prescriptions.
“When the law passed that prescriptions needed to be filed electronically, that took away from the pharmacy experience,” said Kinariwala. “From our technology to ordering online to predictive inventory management, Capsule works with users every step of the way”
The platform works much like ordering an Uber ride or Seamless meal. Capsule delivers prescriptions straight to customers’ homes or offices via a HIPPA certified courier within a two-hour window, for free. Using the app, members can also register their recurring prescriptions, insurance information and address. If any questions or issues arise throughout the ordering process, users can also call or text a pharmacist (during pharmacy hours) directly within the app.
