Medwise

What is Medwise and who sells it?

Medwise describes itself as "the UK's leading medical information platform, trusted by thousands of clinicians across 2000+ NHS organisations", launched from the Mount Sinai Elementa Labs program (Medwise website). The company is Medwise AI Ltd. PitchBook gives 2019 as the founding year and names Dr Keith Tsui as CEO and Luis Ulloa as CTO. Crunchbase and LinkedIn place the head office in London, while PitchBook and Innovate UK place it in Leeds.

Funding came from a GBP 1 million seed round in March 2023 led by Finance Yorkshire (The SaaS News), an earlier round from SFC Capital and more than GBP 1 million in Innovate UK grants. Innovate UK selected the company for its 2020 COVID-19 funding from more than 8,600 applications. Medwise is unrelated to the US company MedWise, which sells a medication risk score.

What can it do?

The app offers several modes: Reasoning ("search trusted sources"), Web, Basic, Drug ("read UK SPCs and Tariffs"), Writing, Local and Support. Users can upload photos and files, up to 30 MB or 20 pages per query. Medwise says patient images should not be uploaded, that personal identifiers are removed automatically and that files are not saved. A user can record an audio clip, keep a saved history and a document library and log CPD entries. Apps exist for iOS and Android.

What does it cost?

The login page says Medwise is free for healthcare professionals and students, and a paid Plus account exists. The App Store lists a subscription at GBP 69.99 without showing the period or the tier name.

What does the evidence say?

The evidence comes from the vendor and from one regional report. Health Innovation East reports an evaluation finding that Medwise saves 2.5 minutes in a typical 10-minute GP appointment. The 2,000-organisation adoption figure is the vendor's own.

Where does it fall short?

Medwise calls itself an information platform, and its site tells users to "always visit the source to verify information". A separate site, device.medwise.ai, presents a "Medwise as Medical Device" offer. The main site names no UKCA or MHRA registration and no DTAC status, so the regulatory class of the product is not stated there.

Who is it for?

A GP who looks up drug questions between patients and wants answers drawn from UK SPCs and tariffs is the target.

The verdict

Medwise is a free, UK-focused reference for drug and guidance questions, aimed at clinicians who want an answer fast. The paid Plus account and the device offer sit behind it, and neither is priced or classified on the main site.