On June 26, 2023, Sun Life Financial introduced an online pharmacy service called Lumino Health Pharmacy, through a partnership with the digital pharmacy Pillway, a Canadian company launched in June 2020.
Through an app, patients can chat or speak on the phone with a pharmacist and receive free same-day or next business day delivery. Pillway also focuses on and emphasizes managing chronic diseases and serving individuals who need to take multiple medications daily.
This marks Sun Life's first foray into online pharmacy says company spokesperson, Ariane Richard. In discussion with the Insurance Portal, Richard says the company is currently offering the service to select group insurance clients.
Customers in Quebec will have to wait a bit longer to benefit. "At the moment, Lumino Health Pharmacy is not available to Quebec clients. The service is expected to be available to all clients by the end of 2023," Richard says. She adds that clients have already shown significant interest in the offering.
Proper medication management
In its marketing, Sun Life explicitly states that it offers this service to promote a healthy lifestyle. The insurer cites data showing that 50 per cent of people who need medications do not take them properly.
Sun Life believes that the personalized packaging offered by the online pharmacy, which provides the names of medications and the times to take them, along with the ability to track consumption and renewals, will make life easier for clients. "People who take medications daily should not have to worry about it," says Dave Jones, president of Sun Life Health. He believes that Lumino Health Pharmacy allows its clients to take control of their health effortlessly by simplifying access to care.
Increased competition
Competition is intensifying in the virtual pharmacy segment. Among the players, TELUS Health launched its own virtual pharmacy in 2022. At the time, he virtual care giant also described non-adherence to treatments as a significant problem.
In Quebec, Picard & Desjardins and Medzy have been operating in this market for several years. However, the pandemic has boosted their activities, attracting investor interest. Medzy secured funding of $2.3-million, with a significant portion coming from Investissement Québec.
