AliHealth builds up CVS Pharmacy in China

AliHealth, a health arm controlled by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, has upgraded its online pharmacies to provide a one-stop service for the customers.

Kang Kao, a board member of the company said over the weekend that the latest move would turn their online pharmacy into the Chinese version of CVS Pharmacy, the largest pharmacy chain in the United States at present.

According to Kang, CVS Pharmacy sells prescription drugs and a wide assortment of general merchandise, including over-the-counter drugs, beauty products and cosmetics, film and photo finishing services, seasonal merchandise, greeting cards, and convenience foods.

Notably, it also provides convenient professional medical consultations for the patients, he said.

"Like CVS, we want to provide our customers with the one-stop solutions for their health demands as well," he said at a media event held by AliHealth in Beijing on Saturday.

Differently, the China's CVS would be online first, he added.

For the medical consultation service, AliHealth now has contracted several thousand physicians, pharmacists, and nutritionists across the country to take care of customers' questions over health and drug uses.

To make the online platform user friendly, popular health demands such as weight loss, body shaping, pregnancy, and sleep improvements are listed independently in the website.