Medicine switching expert Maxwellia continues to drive shift to self-care with two more pharmacy products in the launch pipeline

MANCHESTER, England, April 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the reclassification of the daily progestogen-only pill earlier this year, Maxwellia made history by launching Lovima^® (desogestrel 75mcg) one of the first oral contraceptive brands to be available in pharmacy. It was the first product to market for Maxwellia, the pioneering pharma company that is planning more milestone moments as it spearheads an important transformation in the UK's self-care market. 

Based in Alderley Park, Cheshire, Maxwellia is currently looking at a number of medicines which treat a range of conditions in major public health categories that can be 'switched' from needing a prescription to being conveniently bought at a local high street or supermarket pharmacy. With its foot firmly on the accelerator it has already got two more applications under assessment with the MHRA, including women's health products.

Widening access to a range of medicines in this innovative way will not only transform how people manage and control their own health and broaden the role of pharmacists, the shift could also help ease unnecessary pressure on GPs, who are currently gatekeepers to a range of medicines that could easily be provided by a pharmacist with a short pharmacy consultation. Switching is a rigorous process regulated by the MHRA. Previous well-known examples of switches include Nurofen, Canesten and Viagra Connect and most recently Lovima^®.

Pharmacies have become even more instrumental in helping people to care for themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic which has led many patients to recognise the important role pharmacists play in primary care. They are not just there for plasters, dry skin and cough and cold remedies.  This is underlined by research from the PAGB, the consumer healthcare association, which found that following the first national lockdown that 69% of people were more likely to consider self-care as their first option¹.

Almost a third (32%) said the pandemic had changed their attitude to the way they use NHS services, with 86% agreeing that A&E and GP appointments should only be used when essential. The survey also found that 31% of people who would previously not have visited a pharmacy for advice before seeking help elsewhere said they were now more likely to do so.

Maxwellia CEO, Anna Maxwell, says: "This pandemic has had a significant impact on people's behaviour and attitudes to self-care. We are seeing signs that people are starting to pay closer attention to their health and taking active steps to make daily changes to take better care of their own health. A huge part of enabling this change will be to allow easier access to medicines that help people to better manage their own health more easily and conveniently.

"Britain's pharmacies have become the 'front door' of the NHS over the past couple of years and pharmacists are now the most accessible and trusted healthcare professional. I have always been passionate about the role of pharmacists who are highly trained clinical experts, helping patients and the public by assessing conditions and making decisions about which medicines or treatments would be most suitable, dispensing prescriptions and providing health checks and consultations. As a pharmacist, I know how important they are for helping people self-care and see that they will play an increasingly important role in the local community as medical advisors. It is vital more medicines are safely changed from being prescription-only so people can access them following a short consultation with a pharmacist."

Maxwellia was founded in 2013 and has been purpose-built to develop and commercialise the next generation of consumer healthcare pharmacy brands to provide people with new and better ways to conveniently look after themselves. Its robust pipeline includes numerous medicines across areas of public health with the greatest unmet need. Maxwellia has firmly established a solid sales, logistics and supply chain with industry-leading partners to successfully launch its game-changing new brands into pharmacy.