ONLINE PHARMACY SETUP & REGISTRATION
Start an online pharmacy in Australia
HCPA helps pharmacists build an online pharmacy around convenient patient access, compliant dispensing and a reliable prescription-to-delivery process.

An online pharmacy is still a pharmacy. Medicines must be dispensed from suitable physical premises, but much of the patient journey happens digitally, from receiving the prescription through to payment, counselling and delivery.
The opportunity is to make that journey easier without treating pharmacy like ordinary ecommerce. HCPA helps you plan the premises, technology and delivery model together before major investment begins.
Still deciding whether starting an online pharmacy is the right opportunity for you?
Electronic prescribing has made it easier for patients to send prescriptions to a pharmacy without presenting a paper script in person. The Australian Digital Health Agency’s electronic prescription system also allows patients to manage eligible prescriptions digitally.
That creates opportunities around convenience, privacy and access, particularly for regional patients, people managing ongoing medicines and those who prefer not to visit a busy pharmacy in person.
The commercial model still needs to account for prescription volumes, delivery costs, technology and the markets you intend to serve. HCPA can help you test those assumptions before you commit to the premises or digital platform.
Who is well suited to starting an online pharmacy?
Pharmacy ownership requirements still apply, so HCPA can first confirm whether your proposed structure is permitted in the state or territory where the pharmacy will operate.
What do you need to start an online pharmacy?
A successful setup needs the physical pharmacy, digital patient journey and delivery model to work as one system.

1. Define the business model and location
Start by deciding what the pharmacy will dispense, which patients it intends to serve and how prescriptions will reach the business.
The model could include PBS and private prescriptions, repeat medicines, electronic prescriptions and additional digital pharmacy services.
You also need a suitable physical pharmacy premises. If the business intends to supply PBS medicines, the location should be assessed against the applicable Pharmacy Location Rules before an unconditional lease commitment is made.
An online-focused pharmacy may not need an elaborate customer-facing fit-out, but the premises still need the dispensary, storage, refrigeration and security required for the medicines being supplied.
HCPA can help assess the model, ownership structure, site and likely setup costs before major commitments are made.
2. Establish the pharmacy and PBS pathway
The pharmacy needs to satisfy the ownership, premises and pharmacy-business requirements applying in its state or territory.
If it will supply PBS medicines, a pharmacist must also apply for approval under Section 90 of the National Health Act. For a new pharmacy, the Australian Community Pharmacy Authority assesses the application against the relevant Pharmacy Location Rules before making a recommendation.
Based on HCPA’s pharmacy planning experience, a smaller pharmacy can still require approximately $600,000–$1 million to establish. An online model may allocate less to a premium retail fit-out and more to website development, software, packaging and delivery infrastructure.
HCPA can help you determine where that investment needs to sit based on the actual operating model rather than treating an online pharmacy as a cheaper version of a traditional one.
3. Build the prescription-to-dispensing workflow
Map the patient journey before choosing or building the technology.
A typical process may involve:
- receiving a valid prescription
- verifying the prescription and patient details
- completing pharmacist dispensing and clinical checks
- preparing and labelling the medicine
- providing any required counselling or communication
- dispatching the medicine through the appropriate delivery process
The electronic prescription system can support digital prescription workflows, while the pharmacy may also need PRODA, HPOS, PBS Online and other digital-health integrations depending on its model.
HCPA can help define what the website, dispensing software and order-management systems need to do at each stage before those systems are finalised.
4. Design delivery and website systems before launch
Medicine delivery needs more planning than ordinary ecommerce fulfilment.
The workflow needs to account for packaging, temperature-sensitive medicines, tracking, unsuccessful deliveries and any additional controls applying to scheduled medicines.
Interstate dispensing also needs to be considered carefully because prescription and medicines requirements can vary between states and territories. HCPA can help map the jurisdictions the pharmacy intends to serve and build the appropriate workflow.
The website needs the same early attention. Prescription medicines generally cannot be advertised to the public, so content and ecommerce functionality should be developed around the TGA’s advertising requirements rather than reviewed only after the site has been built.
HCPA can review the website, digital journey and delivery process before the pharmacy begins accepting online orders.
Why work with HCPA when starting an online pharmacy?
The physical pharmacy is only one part of the setup. The PBS pathway, digital prescriptions, dispensing systems, website and delivery process all need to connect.
Building them separately can be expensive. A website may need to be reworked if advertising rules are considered too late, while a delivery model can fail operationally if cold-chain or interstate requirements are added after launch.
HCPA helps coordinate the business model, premises, approvals, digital systems and prescription-to-delivery workflow from the outset.
It is never too early to speak with HCPA, particularly if you have not yet committed to the premises or started building the website.
Backed by HCPA’s Compliance Guarantee
HCPA guarantees the compliance of the work and advice we provide. If a client follows HCPA's compliance guidance and a compliance gap in HCPA's own work is later identified, HCPA will remediate it at no additional cost.
How HCPA helps you start an online pharmacy
Define the model
Assess the target market, services, ownership structure, premises, delivery approach and investment required.
Coordinate approvals
Progress pharmacy and premises requirements, plus Section 90 approval where relevant, in the right sequence.
Build the workflow
Map how prescriptions, dispensing, patient communication, payments and delivery will work together.
Prepare for launch
Review the website, technology and end-to-end prescription journey before the pharmacy begins accepting orders.
Our experience helping businesses enter regulated markets
businesses supported
consultants
first-time approval rate
client revenue generated
HCPA combines regulated-healthcare expertise with practical pharmacy and business knowledge.
For an online pharmacy, that means looking beyond registration and planning how the physical dispensary, digital patient journey and delivery system will operate together.
This can identify and prevent expensive problems while the premises, platform and workflows are still easier to change.
Frequently asked questions about starting an online pharmacy
How do I start a registered online pharmacy in Australia?
Start by defining the business model and confirming your pharmacy ownership and premises requirements.
You will need suitable physical premises, appropriately registered pharmacists and the systems required to receive prescriptions, dispense medicines and deliver them to patients.
If you intend to supply PBS medicines, you will also need to pursue the applicable Section 90 approval process.
HCPA can help coordinate the physical and digital parts of the setup through to launch.
How should an online pharmacy structure the process from receiving a prescription to dispensing and delivering the medicine?
The workflow should be designed before the website and software are finalised.
A valid prescription is received and verified, the pharmacist completes the appropriate dispensing and clinical checks, and the medicine is prepared and labelled. Any required patient counselling takes place before the order enters a delivery process suitable for that medicine.
HCPA can help map each hand-off so the website, pharmacy software and delivery systems support one continuous process.
Does an online pharmacy still need physical premises?
Yes.
“Online” refers to how patients access the service, not where medicines are dispensed.
The premises need suitable dispensing, storage and security arrangements even if few or no customers regularly visit in person.
Does an online pharmacy need PBS approval?
Not simply because it operates online.
However, if the pharmacy wants to supply medicines subsidised under the PBS, the pharmacist will need the relevant Section 90 approval.
For a new pharmacy, this generally involves assessment under the Pharmacy Location Rules.
Can an online pharmacy accept electronic prescriptions?
Yes.
Electronic prescriptions are legally recognised alternatives to paper prescriptions and can be received and dispensed through participating pharmacy software.
The pharmacy still needs compatible dispensing software and a clear process for receiving, validating and dispensing the prescription.
Can an online pharmacy dispense prescriptions to patients in other states?
Potentially, but interstate dispensing needs to be assessed against the requirements applying to the prescription, medicine and jurisdictions involved.
Rules can differ between states and territories, particularly for certain scheduled medicines.
HCPA can map the states and territories the business intends to serve before Australia-wide dispensing is built into the operating model.
Can an online pharmacy advertise prescription medicines?
Generally, prescription medicines cannot be promoted to the public.
The TGA’s current prescription medicine advertising guidance applies to Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 medicines, with restrictions also applying to most Schedule 3 medicines.
An online pharmacy can market the pharmacy service, but its website, search content and campaigns need to stay within the rules applying to therapeutic goods.
Advertising therapeutic goods in Australia is tightly regulated. HCPA reviews your website and marketing material against the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code, so non-compliant content is identified and corrected before it draws regulator attention.
What should I consider when choosing delivery partners?
Start with the medicines being delivered rather than standard courier price.
The delivery model needs to account for the types of medicines being supplied, temperature control where required, secure handling, tracking, delivery failures and the records the pharmacy needs to retain.
HCPA can help determine what the pharmacy needs from its delivery partners before courier arrangements are finalised.
How much does it cost to start an online pharmacy?
The cost depends on the premises, technology and expected order volume.
Based on HCPA’s pharmacy experience, a smaller pharmacy operation may require approximately $600,000–$1 million to establish.
An online-led model may invest less in a premium shopfront but more in technology, website development, packaging and delivery infrastructure.
Can an online pharmacy operate without a retail shopfront?
The business still needs compliant physical pharmacy premises, but the model does not necessarily need to be built around high levels of walk-in retail traffic.
This can change how the premises are selected and where fit-out investment is directed, although state or territory pharmacy requirements and any PBS Location Rules still need to be considered.
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