Imagine being unwell, battling traffic, and enduring the crowd just to collect essential medication. That was the reality for Malaysians who had to collect their pharmacy products from brick-and-mortar stores.

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic made remote healthcare a necessity, pharmacist Lam Wee Yong saw an opportunity to flip the script on how Malaysians access medication. He saw this common struggle as a call to action to create an online pharmacy platform that provides on-demand access to medications and essential pharmaceutical products.

In 2017, he co-founded Esyms, an online pharmacy platform with a vision to fill a gap in the healthcare system. The name itself was carefully crafted: "Ecommerce" meets "Symbiosis," a digital-first platform that redefines how Malaysians access pharmacy care.

“From the beginning, Esyms was built with convenience in mind, eliminating the need for patients to contend with traffic, parking, or long queues just to obtain their medication and pharmacy products. It only makes sense that the medication comes to them, not the other way around,” said Lam.

Success through failure

The early days were challenging. When Lam first proposed an online pharmacy, colleagues and potential users were skeptical. Smartphones were not ubiquitous, and the concept of digital healthcare seemed far-fetched. Most people viewed pharmacies as mere dispensers of medication, rather than critical healthcare partners.

But Lam saw beyond the present. He remembered patients who would take medications prescribed years ago without a thorough follow-up. Many mixed traditional remedies with prescribed drugs without professional guidance.

He envisioned Esyms as a platform that could provide continuous, personalized healthcare support. The timing coincided with the "Uberization" trend—a period when digital platforms were transforming traditional industries. Food delivery, transportation, and commerce were being reimagined. Why not healthcare?

Lam assembled a small team of five pharmacists, each sharing his vision of transforming the pharmacy experience from a transactional service to a patient-centric solution. Their initial website was rudimentary, and their reach was minimal.

Failures were inevitable, given the immense initial challenges. Limited IT knowledge, minimal online reach, and deeply ingrained traditional healthcare behaviors became their roadblocks. But Lam and his team pivoted the early failures into lessons that guided Esyms to what it is today – a comprehensive, patient-centric platform that focuses on the needs of its users.

From pharmacy to home

The Covid-19 pandemic became their unexpected catalyst. Suddenly, patients could not visit hospitals. Families separated by lockdowns needed medication delivered. This forced many Malaysians to reconsider their approach to accessing healthcare, from finding over-the-counter products and supplements to getting prescriptions filled without risking exposure in crowded settings. People needed a safe, fast, and reliable way to access pharmacy services from home. This has accelerated the telepharmacy adoption and normalized digital consultations, even among demographics that previously preferred traditional methods of visiting a crowded pharmacy.

It is within this evolving landscape that Esyms offered consumers a potent prescription for convenience. Professional healthcare advice is simply a click away, whether it is a quick question about an over-the-counter remedy or a detailed discussion about a prescription. Esyms’ users can speak to licensed pharmacists via secure video calls from the comfort of their homes or offices.

Esyms goes beyond merely providing convenient and safe access to medications online. It prides itself on creating a comprehensive healthcare ecosystem, dispensing medications with a valid prescription, in accordance with regulations.

Its pharmacists are tasked to validate the accuracy and completeness of information provided by users. Asking thorough questions about past medication history, allergies, and other signs and symptoms are standard procedures to ensure safe and appropriate recommendations.

“We’re committed to providing safe, ethical, and regulation-compliant care, even if it means saying ‘no’ when it’s in the patient’s best interests,” Lam explained. “Building genuine trust takes time and often requires more than a single interaction. It’s a relationship we work hard to nurture, even in a digital setting.”

All medications on Esyms’ platform are only issued by licensed pharmacists and pharmacies registered with the Ministry of Health in Malaysia. “We believe in full transparency, so users always know what they’re getting, where it comes from, and why it’s safe,” said Lam.

Delivering a dose of trust and collaboration

“If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together,” Lam said as he shared how Esyms collaborates with its partners to ensure the right medications are safely delivered to patients’ doorsteps swiftly. This is essential for individuals who require prescriptions or refills for chronic conditions. Consistent access to these refills is vital as over two million adults in Malaysia live with three or more chronic conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, or high cholesterol.

Despite being knowledgeable in its logistics requirements, Lam acknowledged how a partnership with DHL eCommerce makes a big difference. “We work closely with our logistics partners, treating them as an extension of our brand,” explained Lam. “It’s not just outsourcing — it’s integration. From system tracking to operational SOPs, we ensure everyone in the chain is aligned to meet delivery expectations.”

“AllMeds is a value-added service that complements existing practices in hospitals, empowering pharmacies to deliver more efficient and accessible care, while enhancing patient outcomes. The collaboration with DHL eCommerce can significantly enhance the last-mile delivery process, bringing a much-needed difference to the healthcare sector," noted Lam.

This joint initiative also aligns with the Malaysian government’s commitment to digitally innovate public healthcare. For instance, MyDIGITAL, Malaysia’s Digital Economy Blueprint, includes "driving digital transformation in the public sector" as one of its six strategic thrusts. It aims to create a digitally enabled government that provides integrated, end-to-end online services, which are more efficient, effective, and transparent.

The collaboration between Esyms and DHL eCommerce also advances the latter’s goal to boost growth in life sciences & healthcare, a key initiative within DHL Group’s Strategy 2030. “We are confident that this partnership will deliver a positive impact to the healthcare sector and inspire even more collaboration to drive change," said Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director, DHL eCommerce Malaysia.

End-to-end partnership for progress

Patients have varied needs, ranging from maternal and child health to geriatric care, chronic disease management, wound care and specialized nutritional advice. This is why Esyms aims to further personalize its services by incorporating local pharmacists with specialized expertise, ensuring patients receive tailored advice for their specific health needs.

“What truly sets Esyms apart is our ecosystem. We know that quality healthcare outcomes can’t be achieved alone, which is why we invest in strong, trusted partnerships to amplify our reach and capabilities,” Lam emphasized.

By bringing in pharmacists with specialized knowledge, the telepharmacy platform can address a broader range of health questions and provide more personalized support. This enables the company to serve a greater number of patients with diverse needs.

From partnerships with public and private hospitals as well as retail pharmacies, Esyms also offers an end-to-end service that ensures continuity of care. For instance, the telepharmacy provider invested in technology to streamline medication distribution, which helped reduce crowding at hospital counters and made pharmacy work smoother.

The company also provides an additional online sales channel that directly connects independent pharmacies with patients through its platform. When customers choose in-store pickup, it generates foot traffic for the pharmacy, creating opportunities for upselling and enhanced customer engagement. This is invaluable for independent pharmacy stores that struggle with pricing pressures and stiff competition from larger chains.

With a strong foundation in digital pharmacy and nationwide medication delivery, Esyms Group is now laying the groundwork to become a key enabler for the pharmacy industry. The next phase of growth focuses on building smarter, tech-enabled infrastructure to support pharmacy businesses from intelligent inventory systems to streamlined wholesale supply, completing a fully connected healthcare delivery network ready to scale across Malaysia and into other regional markets.

“Esyms has laid a strong foundation to lead the evolution of pharmacy care in Malaysia —already serving hundreds of thousands and steadily expanding towards millions of users nationwide. Backed by a growing ecosystem of public hospitals, private clinics, and independent pharmacies, we are more than a service provider; we are a trusted partner deeply embedded in the healthcare landscape. Our vision is to become the essential digital backbone that seamlessly connects pharmacies, logistics, and patients in creating a smarter, more integrated, and accessible healthcare delivery system,” said Lam.