Epic Pharmacy

What Epic Pharmacy does

Epic Pharmacy is an Australian hospital and oncology pharmacy services provider founded in 1986 as APHS at St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital in Brisbane and rebranded under its current name in 2014. The company operates as a subsidiary of Icon Group following its 2020 acquisition by David Slade, with headquarters in South Brisbane, Queensland, and a national footprint of over 60 on-site pharmacies across all Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory. Epic delivers pharmacy services on-site within partner hospitals and oncology centers under long-term contracts (commonly 15-20 years) with major Australian healthcare groups including Uniting Care, St John of God Health Care, and St Vincent's Health Australia, plus individual private hospitals such as Newcastle Private, Mater North Sydney, and Northern Beaches Hospital.

The company's core service portfolio covers hospital pharmacy services (imprest management, inpatient and discharge dispensing, clinical pharmacy, accreditation support), specialised oncology pharmacy (chemotherapy preparation, cancer medication management, patient education), clinical trial pharmacy support (Phase I-IV across oncology, cardiovascular, haematological, neurological, respiratory, and gastrointestinal conditions), and governance and education programs delivered through the Quality and Medication Safety Unit (QMSU). The technology stack includes robotic dispensing (first deployed in an Australian hospital pharmacy), a proprietary online chemotherapy ordering system, unique patient-safety barcode technology, electronic prescriptions, and digital e-health applications, supported by Microsoft Teams for clinical collaboration. Epic holds TGA licensing, GCP certification for clinical trials, and complies with NSQHS Standards 3 (Antimicrobial Stewardship) and 4 (Medication Safety) and SHPA standards.

Epic's revenue model blends contracted managed services to hospitals with patient out-of-pocket billing for discharge medications and non-PBS items, with pricing for eligible medications following the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme framework. Distribution is almost entirely through embedded on-site operations within hospital partners and select retail-facing locations, with patient acquisition occurring primarily via hospital referrals rather than direct consumer marketing. Icon Group's broader network — 120+ locations across five countries and over 2.5 million patient interactions globally — provides structural backing for Epic's pharmacy operations, while the compounding division has grown over 300% since incorporation into Icon Group.

Name

Epic Pharmacy

Legal name

Epic Pharmacy Holdings Pty Ltd

Website

https://epicpharmacy.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Epic Pharmacy is an Australian hospital and oncology pharmacy services provider operating 60+ on-site pharmacies within major hospital groups across all Australian states and territories, as a subsidiary of Icon Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospital Pharmacy Services

NAICS

Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (456110), Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (45611)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec (8062), Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospital & Health-System Pharmacies (Inpatient/Outpatient) (HLAFALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Pharmacy & Complex Therapy Management Platforms (HLACAKAG), Specialty Pharmacies (Complex/High-Cost Therapies) (HLAFALAC), Clinical Trial Pharmacy & IMP Management at Site (HLAGACAK)

Keywords

• Hospital pharmacy services
• Oncology pharmacy services
• Medication management
• Pharmaceutical compounding
• Clinical trials pharmacy

Headquarters

HQ city

South Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hospital Pharmacy Services: Contract pharmacy services provided directly within partner hospitals, including inpatient dispensing, imprest management, clinical pharmacy services, and medication management. Revenue derived from hospital contracts and fee-for-service pharmacy operations.
2. Patient Medication Billing: Billing patients for discharge medications and pharmaceutical items not covered by health insurance, PBS subsidies, or concessions. Patients pay out-of-pocket for private prescriptions and non-PBS medications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Epic Pharmacy provides hospital and oncology pharmacy services across Australia as part of Icon Group. Its core offerings include inpatient dispensing, imprest management, clinical pharmacy services, chemotherapy preparation and dispensing, oncology medication management, clinical trials pharmacy support, governance and education programs, compounded medications, and discharge medication services — delivered primarily through embedded on-site pharmacy operations within partner hospitals.

Product overview

Epic Pharmacy is a dynamic healthcare company providing comprehensive pharmacy services to the hospital and oncology sectors across Australia. The company operates as part of Icon Group and offers a portfolio of integrated pharmacy services including Hospital Pharmacy Services (imprest management, inpatient dispensing, clinical pharmacy), Oncology Services (chemotherapy preparation, cancer medication management), Clinical Trials Services, and Governance/Education programs. The service portfolio includes specialized features such as electronic prescriptions, compounded medications, medication delivery, and digital e-health applications. With over 35 years of experience, Epic Pharmacy supports hospitals, oncology providers, and specialist clinics through a network of over 60 pharmacies nationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospital Pharmacy Services Comprehensive pharmacy service management for hospitals including imprest management, inpatient and discharge dispensing, clinical pharmacy services, retail pharmacy, accreditation support, and medication cost management, delivered through embedded on-site operations within partner hospitals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2.5 million patient interactions delivered through Icon Group globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Icon GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEpic Pharmacy is owned and supported by Icon Group, Australia's largest dedicated cancer care provider. Icon Group provides pharmacy service management ensuring Epic teams can deliver exceptional pharmacy services. Epic operates alongside Slade Pharmacy as part of Icon Group's complete suite of pharmacy services.
• Uniting CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEpic Pharmacy provides hospital pharmacy services to Uniting Care facilities across Australia as part of their contracted pharmacy service provider relationships.
• St John of God Health CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEpic Pharmacy provides hospital pharmacy services to St John of God Health Care private hospitals as part of their contracted pharmacy service provider relationships.
• St Vincent's Health Australia (SVHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEpic Pharmacy provides hospital pharmacy services to St Vincent's Health Australia facilities including St Vincent's Private Hospital Lismore.
• Haematology and Oncology Clinics of Australasia (HOCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partnership with HOCA (now Icon Cancer Centre) where APHS secured a 20-year pharmacy contract in 2008, establishing Epic as a national organization serving cancer care facilities.
• Very Special KidsminorOthersEpic Pharmacy proudly supports Very Special Kids, a charity caring for children with life-threatening conditions through hospice and family support services. Epic supports the annual VSK 24-hour Treadmill Challenge to help raise funds for over 800 families across Victoria.
• Women's Legal ServicesminorOthersEpic Pharmacy proudly supports Women's Legal Services and their work in supporting women and children experiencing domestic violence. Epic has previously supported the Dancing CEOs event as part of Icon Group.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Icon Cancer Centre: Icon Cancer Centre is Epic's sister brand within Icon Group, providing oncology day hospitals across Australia. While primarily a cancer care delivery business, it generates direct pharmacy demand for Epic and represents the closest oncology ecosystem peer.
• Slade Health: Slade Health is Icon Group's compounding and pharmaceutical manufacturing arm, providing sterile and non-sterile compounded medications including chemotherapy. Directly comparable as a specialty compounding peer serving hospital and oncology channels.
• HPS (Hospital Pharmacy Services): HPS is one of Australia's largest dedicated hospital pharmacy service providers, operating embedded pharmacy models across public and private hospitals nationwide. Closest external direct competitor to Epic in the Australian contract hospital pharmacy market.
• Slade Pharmacy: Slade Pharmacy is the direct sister brand of Epic Pharmacy within Icon Group, providing identical hospital and oncology pharmacy services across Australia. Most directly comparable peer — same parent, same model, same customers, same regulatory environment.
• Pharmaxo Group / Bath ASU: Pharmaxo is Icon Group's UK pharmacy services and aseptic compounding subsidiary, providing hospital pharmacy services to NHS and private hospitals. Comparable international peer offering hospital pharmacy and compounding under the same parent umbrella.

Broad incumbents

• Cardinal Health (Specialty Pharmacy): Cardinal Health provides specialty pharmacy distribution, clinical trial supply services, and hospital pharmacy solutions including OptiFreight Logistics. Broad incumbent peer in specialty/hospital pharmacy services with comparable oncology and clinical trials capabilities.
• Sigma Healthcare (Amcal/Guardian Pharmacies): Sigma Healthcare is a major Australian pharmacy wholesale and retail network operator. While primarily retail-focused, it provides some hospital pharmacy services and represents a broad incumbent in the Australian pharmacy market.
• CVS Health (Specialty Pharmacy): CVS Health operates one of the largest specialty pharmacy networks in the US, including oncology and hospital-focused pharmacy services. Broad incumbent peer offering comparable specialty oncology pharmacy at much greater scale, though focused on US payer markets rather than hospital embedded contracts.
• McKesson (Specialty Pharmacy): McKesson operates US Oncology Network and specialty pharmacy services for oncology practices and hospitals globally. Broad incumbent peer in hospital/oncology pharmacy distribution and clinical services at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Pharmacy 4 Less: Pharmacy 4 Less is a growing Australian discount pharmacy chain with compounding services. Adjacent retail pharmacy peer rather than direct hospital competitor, but illustrates emerging compounding competition in the Australian pharmacy market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/epic_pharmacy
• Facebookfacebook.com/epicpharmacy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epic-pharmacy
• Instagraminstagram.com/epic_pharmacy/?hl=en

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Epic Pharmacy