Earlier this week, Toronto-based healthtech startup Felix Health announced plans to bolster its recently launched digital mental health service.
Felix is introducing the ability to get both diagnosed and treated for mental health conditions directly through its platform. This expands its mental health capabilities beyond prescription renewals and delivery for anxiety and depression.
CEO Kyle Zien claims Felix is “the first Canadian telemedicine platform to offer an end-to-end solution like this.”
“By expanding this offering, Canadians will be able to speak directly to healthcare practitioners through a secure messaging portal or call where physicians can prescribe treatment for those suffering from depression and anxiety,” Felix co-founder and CEO Kyle Zien told BetaKit, highlighting that the expansion helps remove “barriers like wait times and travel.”
Founded in 2019, Felix aims to make healthcare more accessible for Canadians by offering an end-to-end prescription delivery service. The startup focuses on health issues like erectile dysfunction, birth control, hair loss, acne, allergies, cold sores, and migraines, which often remain untreated due to the stigma associated with them.
Felix users can request an assessment on the company’s website by sharing their medical history and symptoms in an online quiz. Licenced Canadian doctors review that info and chat with the patient through Felix’s messaging platform before issuing a prescription.
Amid COVID-19, Canada’s online pharmacy space has also grown. In addition to Felix Health, the sector features newcomers like Toronto-based Locke Bio, which aims to become “Shopify for pharma,” and more established startups like Surrey’s PocketPills, which allows patients to fill, manage, and receive prescription medications online, but does not offer diagnosis.
Other Canadian healthtech companies offering mental health services include Toronto-based MindBeacon and Maple, and Montréal’s Dialogue.
With the expansion of its mental health offering, Zien claims Felix is “the first Canadian telemedicine platform to offer an end-to-end solution,” with both diagnosis and prescription delivery. Other prominent players in the space offer prescriptions but require you to take them to a pharmacy and wait, or, like PocketPills, offer prescription fulfillment but not diagnosis.
“We handle all of the legwork for you, taking the hassle out of the process and making things as accessible as possible,” said Zien.
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The startup’s end-to-end mental health service will include audio or video visits with a medical practitioner who provides a diagnosis and recommends treatment. Felix then fills the associated medication, discreetly packages it, and ensures it is shipped for free within 48 hours by an accredited pharmacy. The startup also plans to offer auto-refills.
Felix raised a $10 million CAD Series A round in February 2021, bringing its total funding to date to $13.3 million. Following this financing, the company first launched its mental health service in May, referring to mental health as a “long-term target for expansion.”
Earlier this year, Felix noted that during the pandemic, the startup increased its customer base eight-fold as demand for telehealth solutions increased.
Felix’s expanded mental health service is now available in eight provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.
A spokesperson for Felix told BetaKit that mental health “will continue to be a major focus for Felix in 2022 and beyond,” adding that the company plans to expand more into education and individual and group therapy over time. “Our launch numbers have already surpassed our internal projections and we’re rapidly hiring to support the category’s growth,” they said.
Feature image courtesy of Felix Health