What Healthwave does

Healthwave is Ireland's first subscription online pharmacy, founded in 2013 and headquartered in Dundrum, Dublin. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model delivering prescription and non-prescription medications nationwide across the Republic of Ireland within a 1-2 working day timeframe. It serves individual consumer segments including chronic-condition patients managing multi-drug regimens, women seeking contraception and HRT, men seeking ED and hair-loss treatments, and individuals pursuing weight-management solutions including GLP-1 medications (Mounjaro, Wegovy, Saxenda).

The technology stack centers on a proprietary e-commerce platform with three core components: PillPods (a pre-sorted medication organization system that arranges pills by date and time into tear-and-go pods), Carebot (a messaging-based ordering assistant for prescription reordering), and an Online Doctor telehealth consultation service. Operational integrations include Healthmail for secure prescription transfer from Irish GPs, Touchstore for pharmacy management and fulfillment, Stripe for payment processing, and Zendesk for customer support. Healthwave holds a Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) license authorizing online sale of non-prescription medicines.

The revenue model is transaction-based across four streams: prescription dispensing, OTC and supplement sales, online doctor consultations, and government-subsidized schemes (Free Contraception and Free HRT administered through the HSE). Pricing follows a pay-as-you-go model with free delivery on orders over €49.99. The company is wholly owned by COGA Investments Limited, a holding entity, with no disclosed venture capital funding. Marketing is concentrated in content (Health Hub blog), SEO, and earned media across major Irish outlets. The company employs 11-50 people and operates exclusively within the Irish market.

Name

Healthwave

Legal name

Healthwave Ltd.

Website

https://healthwave.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Healthwave is Ireland's first subscription online pharmacy, delivering prescription and non-prescription medications nationwide via its e-commerce platform. It serves chronic-care patients, women's health, men's health, and weight-management customers through PillPods, Carebot, and Online Doctor services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Pharmacy Services

NAICS

Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611), Offices of Physicians (6211)

SIC

Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

DTC Telehealth with Integrated Online Pharmacy (Cash-Pay/Subscription) (HLALAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Prescription-Based Digital Clinics (Condition-Specific Rx Programs) (HLALAAAD), Men’s Health Prescribing + Pharmacy Delivery Platforms (HLALAIAJ), Telehealth-to-Pharmacy Marketplace & Prescription Routing Platforms (HLALAIAC)

Keywords

• Online pharmacy services
• Prescription medication delivery
• Telehealth consultations
• Medication management
• Health e-commerce

Headquarters

HQ city

Dundrum

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Prescription Medication Sales: Revenue from dispensing and delivering prescription medications to patients across Ireland, including specialized treatments like Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Saxenda for weight loss.
2. Online Shop - Non-Prescription Products: Sales of OTC medicines, supplements, skincare, electronics, and other health-related products through the e-commerce platform.
3. Online Doctor Consultations: Revenue from online medical consultations providing prescriptions for conditions including erectile dysfunction, weight management, and other treatments.
4. Specialized Health Programs: Government-subsidized programs including Free Contraception Scheme and Free HRT scheme for eligible Irish residents.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Healthwave operates Ireland's first subscription-style online pharmacy, dispensing and delivering prescription medications nationwide along with non-prescription health products. The service combines a Carebot AI ordering assistant, PillPods medication organization system, and an Online Doctor telemedicine platform for remote consultations and prescriptions.

Product overview

Healthwave is a digital pharmacy offering an integrated healthcare platform with multiple interconnected services. The core offering consists of an online pharmacy shop (https://healthwave.ie/shop/) combined with prescription management and delivery services. PillPods provides medication organization into daily pods, while the Online Doctor enables remote consultations for conditions like weight loss (Mounjaro, Wegovy, Saxenda), men's health (Cialis, Viagra Connect), and women's health (free contraception, HRT). Carebot serves as the automated ordering assistant for prescriptions. The pharmacy stocks medications across diverse categories including allergies, diabetes management (including CGM devices), COVID, first aid, skincare, supplements, and travel health. All prescriptions are delivered nationwide across Ireland starting at €2.95.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PillPods: Medication organization system that organizes medicines into daily pods for easy carrying
• Carebot

Products and services

• Online Pharmacy Shop E-commerce storefront offering medications, treatments, and health products across multiple categories including allergies, diabetes, skincare, supplements, and more.
• Prescription Delivery Prescription medication delivery service covering all of Ireland with delivery starting from €2.95 and free delivery on orders over €49.99.
• PillPods Medication organization system that sorts medicines into individual pods labeled by date and time, helping patients manage multiple medications.
• Carebot Online messaging service and AI-powered ordering assistant that lets customers order prescriptions and communicate with the pharmacy through automated messaging.
• Online Doctor Telehealth consultation service allowing patients to consult doctors remotely for various health conditions and treatments, including weight management and men's health prescriptions.
• Free Contraception Ireland Free contraception service for eligible women in Ireland as part of the national scheme, accessible through the pharmacy.
• Free HRT Free Hormone Replacement Therapy service for eligible women experiencing menopause symptoms under the Irish government scheme.
• Mounjaro GLP-1 receptor agonist medication for type 2 diabetes management and weight loss treatment, currently stocked by Healthwave.
• Wegovy GLP-1 receptor agonist medication for weight management treatment, stocked by Healthwave.
• Saxenda Liraglutide-based weight loss injection medication for adults with obesity or weight-related health conditions, stocked by Healthwave.
• Cialis for Men Tadalafil tablets for treating erectile dysfunction; available without prescription through the Healthwave online pharmacy.
• Viagra Connect Sildenafil-based treatment for erectile dysfunction available without prescription through the Healthwave online pharmacy.
• Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Home testing devices including Dexcom One+ CGM sensors for monitoring blood sugar levels in diabetes management.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free delivery on orders over €49.99
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mounjaro (Eli Lilly)coreOthersHealthwave stocks Mounjaro, a GLP-1 weight loss medication manufactured by Eli Lilly, indicating a supply relationship for this in-demand treatment.
• Wegovy (Novo Nordisk)coreOthersHealthwave stocks Wegovy, indicating supply relationship for this popular weight loss medication from Novo Nordisk.
• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationStripe is used as the payment processing platform. Card details are encrypted and processed through Stripe's infrastructure - Healthwave does not have access to card details after payment.
• TouchstorecoreTechnology or IntegrationTouchstore is used as part of Healthwave's operational processes for pharmacy management and order fulfillment.
• HealthmailcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated system for secure prescription handling and transfer within the Irish healthcare infrastructure.
• HSE (Health Service Executive)coreOthersHealthwave participates in Irish government health schemes including the Free Contraception Scheme and Free HRT scheme, administered through the HSE.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pharmacy2U: UK's largest online subscription pharmacy delivering NHS and private prescriptions nationwide. Closest direct comparable: DTC e-commerce pharmacy model, recurring prescription dispensing, and GP-routed prescription handling — Healthwave's UK equivalent in model and scale.
• LloydsDirect (Echo): LloydsPharmacy's online repeat-prescription subscription service operating a near-identical DTC pharmacy-plus-managed-reorder model. Directly comparable on operational mechanics and customer experience to Healthwave's PillPods + Carebot recurring offering.
• Simple Online Pharmacy: UK- and Ireland-active online pharmacy with strong weight-loss category presence (Mounjaro/Wegovy). Comparable to Healthwave in condition-specific Rx programs, online doctor consultations, and GLP-1 distribution via e-commerce.
• Webdoctor.ie: Ireland-based online doctor and telehealth provider offering remote consultations and prescriptions. Directly comparable on the Online Doctor component of Healthwave's offering, operating in the same Irish regulatory environment.

Broad incumbents

• Boots Online Doctor: Online consultation and prescription service from Boots, the UK's largest pharmacy chain with established Irish operations. Comparable as an established broad-portfolio telehealth-plus-pharmacy offering that could enter or expand in Ireland.
• DocMorris: Pan-European online pharmacy and telehealth platform operating across Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Comparable as a larger, well-capitalized incumbent in the European online pharmacy category with active expansion ambitions.
• McCabes Pharmacy: One of Ireland's largest pharmacy chains offering in-store dispensing and emerging online services. Comparable as a domestic incumbent with potential to compete with Healthwave's online subscription model using its existing retail footprint.
• Hims & Hers Health: US-listed DTC telehealth and pharmacy platform with strong weight-loss and men's/women's health verticals. Comparable as the scaled archetype of the category — DTC telehealth integrated with subscription pharmacy that Healthwave's model aspires to replicate in Ireland.

Regional players

• Allcare Pharmacy: Irish pharmacy chain with multiple physical locations. Comparable as a domestic retail-pharmacy incumbent operating in the same Irish regulatory and reimbursement environment that Healthwave competes within.

Emerging players

• Zava (now Teleclinic/Spring): European online doctor and prescription service operating across UK, Germany, France, and Ireland. Comparable as a pan-European DTC telehealth player with overlapping men's health, women's health, and weight management verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/healthwaveHQ

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Healthwave