Online health store Healthkart launches drug search app HealthKartPlus

Gurgaon-based startup Bright Lifecare Pvt Ltd, which runs the online health store Healthkart, has launched a smart phone application for generic drug search, HealthKartPlus. Generic drugs are cheaper versions of high cost patented medicines.

This smart phone application can be downloaded on any Android and iPhone devices. Users would be able to find out all about what medicines to take, their correct dosage and even compare drugs by prices. Using HealthKartPlus, users can explore how prescription medicines work and understand the required precaution. The application also helps compare drugs by prices and choose the most cost-effective generic drug for a given prescription.

Prashant Tandon, co-founder of HealthKart said in a statement, "HealthKartPlus is our attempt to help consumers understand their medicines. After downloading this application, they can now check for quality substitutes and learn about prices of medicines by simply accessing their smartphones."

HealthKartPlus claims to offer a vast number of different brands of drugs with detailed composition, mapped against other less expensive brands with the same composition.

In January, Healthkart raised Rs 27 crore in second round of funding from existing investor Sequoia Capital and another new investor Omidyar. The fund raised is expected to be used for expansion of its product portfolio and developing an online magazine. Last April, the company raised $1 million as seed fund from Kae Capital and Sequoia Capital.

In May, the e-store acquired all assets of health nutrition e-store MadeinHealth.com, for an undisclosed amount. As per the agreement, HealthKart acquired the domain name, inventory, database and its Facebook page besides few key employees of the two-year-old startup Blue Lion Group Services, which runs MadeinHealth.

(Edited by Prem Udayabhanu)