EMIS Acquires Majority Stake in Pharmacy Software Company Rx Systems Limited

EMIS Group plc (AIM: EMIS), the UK's leading supplier of healthcare software to GPs, today announces that it has acquired 78.9% of the issued share capital of Rx Systems Limited ("RX"), a pharmacy software and services company, for a total consideration of up to £9.95 million.

Rx Systems has a 20.5% share of the community pharmacy market; EMIS believes that further growth in the market share can be achieved post-acquisition.

The acquisition is an important element of EMIS' continuing drive to provide 'joined-up' healthcare for NHS patients. It is anticipated that future integration of EMIS and Rx Systems technologies will enable further streamlining of electronic prescription services, benefiting patients, GPs and the 2,500 community pharmacies using Rx Systems' ProScript dispensary management system.

Future developments will see pharmacists benefit from the link with GP practices using EMIS Access, the award winning secure online patient portal. This already allows patients to request repeat medication via internet, mobile phone or digital TV, saving time and streamlining the prescription process considerably.

There will be further advantages from interoperability between EMIS Web, EMIS' next generation system, and ProScript. EMIS Web is currently being tested for EPS2 paired with ProScript.

Sean Riddell, EMIS CEO, said: "Rx Systems software has a strong reputation and a loyal community pharmacy customer base. Joining forces enables both EMIS and Rx Systems to identify the best way to provide GPs and pharmacists with appropriate levels of interoperability to further improve patient care and efficiencies in the prescribing environment. This means real benefits for patients, GPs and pharmacists alike."

For further information, please visit:
http://www.emis-online.com

EPS2 (Release 2 of Connecting for Health's Electronic Prescription System) will provide increased functionality for pharmacists, GPs and patients including nomination of pharmacies, electronic prescription signing and electronic repeat dispensing.

About EMIS Group plc
EMIS was established in March 1987 by two GPs who identified an opportunity to develop and supply practice management software and computerise patients’ electronic health records, then kept on paper at GPs' surgeries.

The Group has since become the UK's leading supplier of software and related services to GP surgeries and now leads the market, with around 39 million patient records held on its platform.

The Group's latest product, EMIS Web, electronically connects GPs with other NHS professionals by enabling secure, shared, centrally hosted access to patients' cradle-to-grave electronic health records held at the Group’s data centres. The transformational system has the capability to interconnect with other NHS patient data systems to:

  • save time and money by eliminating paperwork and the re-inputting of data;
  • significantly reduce patient waiting times; and
  • reduce the risk of prescribing and treatment errors.

EMIS is headquartered in Leeds.

About Rx Systems
Rx Systems has grown rapidly since it began trading in 2004. Based in Hertfordshire and operating throughout the UK, Rx Systems has developed a range of integrated pharmacy and retail systems and services for the community pharmacy, including its core product, ProScript, a windows based dispensary management system. www.rxsystems.co.uk.