InstantScripts
Australian telehealth app for online doctor consults and e-prescriptions, owned by Wesfarmers.
On the record
Checkpoint: AHPRA/TGA final ruling on asynchronous prescribing standards
The call
InstantScripts sits inside Wesfarmers with real scale and pharmacy reach, but a bigger-funded rival and possible new prescribing rules could squeeze its core convenience model.
InstantScripts lets Australians get prescriptions from doctors online without visiting a clinic in person, and it makes money by working with over 2,500 pharmacies and partnering with Wesfarmers, the large retail company. The company used to have an advantage because it had its own network of registered doctors and was built into pharmacy systems, but now Hims and Hers, a much larger U.S. health company, bought its main local competitor Eucalyptus in June 2026 and has more money and artificial intelligence technology. At the same time, Australian regulators (AHPRA and TGA) are making new rules that could require patients to have face-to-face video calls with doctors before getting prescriptions, which would make InstantScripts' fast online process much less attractive and harder to profit from. Whether InstantScripts survives in its current form depends entirely on what those regulators decide about online prescribing rules over the next year.
Why
01
AI pressure: Hims & Hers / Eucalyptus AI-driven triage and prescribing tools. Hims & Hers brings AI-heavy triage and personalization from its global stack into Eucalyptus, raising the bar on speed and matching InstantScripts can't easily copy. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.
02
Bigger players: Hims & Hers Health (via Eucalyptus acquisition, completed June 2026). A globally funded rival now owns the largest local competitor, adding capital and product depth right next to InstantScripts' turf. Could a giant copy it? Probably.
03
What protects it. AHPRA-registered doctor network plus direct pipe into Wesfarmers' Priceline pharmacies and wholesale distribution.
What would change this call
AHPRA/TGA issues binding rule on face-to-face-before-prescribing within 12 months. Would force InstantScripts off its core async model, compressing margins and product convenience.
Hims & Hers announces AU marketing spend increase or Eucalyptus rebrand push in 2026. Shows the newly-merged rival is aggressively targeting InstantScripts' customer base.
Wesfarmers FY26 investor update (expected August 2026) on InstantScripts/Priceline integration. Reveals whether Wesfarmers is reinforcing or absorbing the InstantScripts brand.
Hims & Hers announces AU marketing spend increase or Eucalyptus rebrand push in 2026. Shows the newly-merged rival is aggressively targeting InstantScripts' customer base.
Wesfarmers FY26 investor update (expected August 2026) on InstantScripts/Priceline integration. Reveals whether Wesfarmers is reinforcing or absorbing the InstantScripts brand.
Key numbers
- 1M+ registered users at 2023 acquisition
- 2,500+ pharmacy partners at acquisition
- A$135M acquisition price by Wesfarmers
Named risks
- AHPRA/TGA regulatory tightening against asynchronous prescribing threatens core product model.
- Newly capitalized Hims & Hers backed Eucalyptus intensifies competition and customer acquisition costs.
- Prior TGA infringement notices (A$742,500 in Nov 2023) show recurring compliance exposure.
- No independent post-acquisition financial disclosure since 2023 limits transparency.
Rivals, as read in July 2026
| Rival | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Eucalyptus (via Hims & Hers) | losing to | Hims & Hers completed US$1.15B acquisition of Eucalyptus in June 2026, creating a globally backed rival |
| Qoctor | contesting | Doctor-owned Australian telehealth rival offering lower-cost consults from ~A$14.99, as of July 2026 |
| Youly, Hub Health, InstantConsult, Aussie Scripts | contesting | Multiple smaller Australian online doctor services compete in consumer review rankings as of 2026 |
Questions people ask
- Is InstantScripts profitable?
- InstantScripts reached profitability by March 2023, per Bailador's follow-on investment announcement, while completing over 1 million patient interactions annually across consumer and cosmetic segments. No standalone profit figures have been disclosed since Wesfarmers acquired it in June 2023.
- Who owns InstantScripts?
- InstantScripts is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wesfarmers Limited, held through Australian Pharmaceutical Industries within the Wesfarmers Health division since the acquisition completed around June 2023 for approximately A$135 million.
- Could AI replace InstantScripts?
- AI can automate intake questionnaires and results interpretation, workflows InstantScripts already uses AI-driven tools for since 2021, but legal prescribing requires an AHPRA-registered doctor, a regulatory moat AI cannot substitute without a change in prescribing law.
- Who is InstantScripts' biggest competitor?
- Eucalyptus, owner of Juniper and Software, is InstantScripts' largest Australian rival, and it was acquired by Hims & Hers Health for up to US$1.15 billion, with the deal completing in June 2026, creating a globally capitalized competitor.
- How many users does InstantScripts have?
- InstantScripts had around one million registered user accounts and over 2,500 pharmacy partners at the time of its acquisition by Wesfarmers in June 2023, and was still described as Australia's largest online healthcare provider by April 2024.
- Has InstantScripts had regulatory trouble?
- Yes. In November 2023 the TGA issued InstantScripts 45 infringement notices totaling A$742,500 for allegedly promoting prescription-only medicines like insulin and antibiotics directly to consumers, in violation of the Therapeutic Goods Act.
Timeline
- 2026-06-01Hims & Hers completes acquisition of rival Eucalyptus for up to US$1.15 billion
- 2025-11-27TGA chief medical adviser publicly criticizes telehealth prescribing model
- 2025-10-08AHPRA issues guidance favoring face-to-face consultation before prescribing
- 2025-07-09AHPRA takes action against 57 practitioners over cannabis prescribing
- 2024-04-03Described as Australia's largest online healthcare provider, 1M+ users
- 2023-11-26TGA issues InstantScripts 45 infringement notices totaling A$742,500
- 2023-06-11Wesfarmers Health agrees to acquire InstantScripts for approx A$135M
- 2023-03-15Bailador invests A$10M follow-on; InstantScripts reaches profitability
- 2021-07-26Bailador invests A$5.5M in InstantScripts
- 2018-01Founded in Melbourne by Dr Asher Freilich and Maxim Shklyar
Revision history
30 July 2026
First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
In the same band
Sources
- Healthtech startup InstantScripts sees valuation jump 10% as Bailador chips in another $5 million (2022-08-07)
- How a talented Melbourne developer built Australia's fastest-growing primary healthcare platform (2022-05-25)
- Bailador invests in digital healthcare platform InstantScripts (2021-07-26)
- InstantScripts follow-on investment and valuation uplift (2023-03-15)
- Wesfarmers Health enters agreement to acquire digital health business InstantScripts (2023-06-11)
- Wesfarmers offers $90M to buy telehealth firm InstantScripts (2023-06-13)
- TGA crackdown on telehealth providers promoting prescription-only medicines (2023-11-26)
- InstantScripts, Products, Competitors, Financials, Employees (2024-04-03)
- InstantScripts 2026 Company Profile
- Frequently Asked Questions (2025-06-30)
- Hims & Hers Completes Acquisition of Eucalyptus (2026-06-01)
- Eucalyptus Health (2026-07-30)