Breaking News: Natural Partners and Fullscript announce strategic merger

Representatives from Natural Partners and Fullscript announced the two brands are merging earlier this morning at the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM) Annual International Conference in Hollywood, Florida.

Scottsdale, Arizona-based Natural Partners is an online service that supplies the healthcare community with professional-grade natural supplements. Fullscript, based in Ottawa, Canada, is an online supplement dispensary platform. While the two companies were previously competitors in the industry, merging will allow them to create the industry-leading, technology-enabled, wellness management service for integrative healthcare practitioners and patients, officials said.

Fran Towey, former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Natural Partners, will serve as the CEO of the newly formed company, which officials say will eventually adopt a combined name but, for now, will become Natural Partners Fullscript.

“This combination is unique,” said Towey. “We're bringing together two teams that are completely complementary and laser-focused on the future direction of the wellness industry." 

Kyle Braatz, former CEO of Fullscript, will become president of the new company. The two teams have been working tirelessly to ensure a smooth transition and are thrilled to see it come to fruition.

“When my co-founders and I started Fullscript in 2011, we knew we were embarking on a difficult journey with an incredibly worthy mission,” said Braatz. “We believe in integrative care and we need to make it easier for everyone involved in that industry, especially patients.”

Supplement protocols are notoriously complicated yet effective when followed, said company officials in a press release. Simplifying the patient's process and routine is critical to improving outcomes. By providing a seamless solution for stocking, prescribing, and dispensing, the new merged company gives practitioners the time and resources to create highly personalized wellness plans that are easy for patients to follow.

Natural Partners Fullscript will harness Fullscript’s excellence in software engineering and Natural Partners’ supply chain and merchandising expertise to provide a holistic management solution for integrative practitioners, no matter how they choose to prescribe and dispense. The new company, which will specialize in online dispensary management, specialty distribution, e-commerce, and patient adherence tools, is dedicated to supporting the expanding integrative healthcare market. The company’s new roadmap for service evolution and product innovation is expected to improve health outcomes for patients, while driving increased demand for wellness products and services.

Officials say that Natural Partners and Fullscript anticipate completing the transaction in June, assuming satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

"In an industry that's fraught with complex issues that have a real impact on human lives, we’ve got something special to contribute," said Towey. "A great strategy, and a team of people that truly care.”

Editor’s note: This article is part of Integrative Practitioner’s live coverage of the Institute of Functional Medicine’s 2018 Annual International Conference. For a full list of coverage, click here.