Common Health Launches Southeast Asia's First E-Commerce Platform for Chronic Diseases

PROVIDENCE, R.I., March 19, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Common Health Inc., an American startup company working in Southeast Asia, announced today the launch of a new e-commerce platform dedicated to the region's 151 million people with diabetes and hypertension. The service makes quality medicines more accessible and affordable, and provides advice and support to help customers live longer, healthier lives. Common Health is now available in Myanmar and can be accessed through www.commonhealth.com.mm, Facebook, Viber, and a telephone hotline.

Chronic diseases are a serious challenge in the region, where 99 million people are diabetic or pre-diabetic and 116 million people have hypertension, including many with both conditions. Due to the high costs for care and the complexities of living with these diseases, most people struggle to maintain their treatment. For example, only 12% of people in Southeast Asia with hypertension have their condition under control.

Common Health addresses this by making products and services for people with chronic diseases more affordable, accessible, and convenient, starting with essential medications. Every customer using the company's platform has access to:

• Low prices that deliver savings on every order, made possible by relationships with pharmacies, distributors, and manufacturers,
• Convenient home delivery by a dedicated team trained on the safe handling of health products, including "cold-chain" items,
• A wide range of medications for diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, including Myanmar's largest selection of oral diabetes drugs and insulins,
• A world-class quality guarantee ensuring that products are authentic, legally imported, and in excellent condition, and
• Free telemedicine support, including a family medicine doctor matched to each household and a 24-hour on-call service for urgent issues.

The company has piloted its chronic disease e-commerce platform in the cities of Yangon and Bago, and the response from customers like Daw Cho Cho Thein has been enthusiastic. "We save 25,000 kyats [~US$ 12] per family member on medication costs by ordering through Common Health," said Thein, who cares for two parents with type 2 diabetes. "We do not need to worry about the expiration date on the medicines. And whenever we have questions, we call our family medicine doctor."

Common Health was founded in 2019 by Matthew Guilford, who previously scaled telemedicine and health insurance to five million people in Bangladesh. The company began operations in Myanmar in 2021, supporting primary care, medicine delivery, and hospital access for 31,000 children and pregnant women. In less than two years, Common Health's platform has been used to provide more than 140,000 telemedicine consultations and to deliver more than 17,000 medication orders. 

"We are excited to launch this service as a first step in helping families across Southeast Asia save money and achieve better health outcomes," said Guilford. "We look forward to incorporating new offerings like diagnostics and insurance to make Common Health the first port of call for people with diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic health needs."

About Common Health

Common Health, Inc. is a purpose-driven company that helps families in Southeast Asia manage complex health needs like chronic diseases, pregnancy, and early childhood care. The company was founded in the United States in 2019 and started operations in Myanmar in 2021, helping healthcare providers deliver high-quality primary care and essential medications to families with children. With the launch of its new e-commerce platform, Common Health is now applying its capabilities to empower the 151 million people in Southeast Asia with diabetes and hypertension to save money and achieve better health. For more information, visit www.commonhealth.com.mm.

Source: Common Health, Inc.