MAXWELLIA - Pharmacist and ‘OTC innovator’ named North West Innovation Entrepreneur of the Year

Pharmacist and founder of healthcare brand Maxwellia, Anna Maxwell, has been named Innovation Entrepreneur of the Year for the North West at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.  Her work involves ‘switching’ UK prescription (Rx) medicines to launch as over the counter (OTC) brands, reducing pressure on the NHS and giving people control of their own health.

Ms Maxwell’s efforts to make medicines more widely available were celebrated at the award ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Monday 17 November.

Maxwellia now has a growing portfolio of OTC medicines – including the daily contraceptive Lovima, the emergency contraceptive LoviOne, Evana for heavy periods and Ultravana for period pain relief – which are stocked in more than 3,000 pharmacies across the UK.  Maxwellia recently launched their sixth commercialised product, Naprosyn Pain Relief, which contains naproxen and delivers up to 12 hours of relief from muscle and joint pain.

Ms Maxwell said: ‘Initially, our focus has been on female health as this sector presented so many opportunities to make a real difference to women’s lives. But our wider mission is to reshape access to medicines by identifying neglected, yet high-value markets, not only in women's health but also other consumer healthcare market sectors such as pain.’

She pointed out that self-care is embedded in the NHS 10-year health plan, which is why she’s such an advocate for ‘switching’ medicines.

‘We take proven prescription medicines which have a robust safety profile and navigate the labyrinth of regulations and classifications to enable consumers to access via high street pharmacies. Increasing self-care options in this way takes a huge amount of pressure off the NHS,’ she added.

Speaking at a women’s health event on 13 November at The Century Club in London, Ms Maxwell said that the healthcare system has often underserved women – something she witnessed first hand has a pharmacist.

This inspired her to found Maxwellia, which ‘represents the ultimate opportunity to break down barriers by unlocking GP gate-kept medicines and putting the power of choice directly in the hands of women,’ she said.

‘Switching’ is about more than regulatory change: ‘It’s a form of innovation in consumer healthcare,’ she added.