Jean Coutu Group has launched what it said is the first application in Canada that allows the refilling of prescriptions from a smart handheld device without going through a mobile web site.

Called the Jean Coutu APP, the mobile application lets users of Apple's iPhone smartphone and iPod Touch pocket computer refill prescriptions in just a few simple steps, the drug store chain said.

LONGUEUIL, Quebec — Jean Coutu Group has launched what it said is the first application in Canada that allows the refilling of prescriptions from a smart handheld device without going through a mobile web site.

Called the Jean Coutu APP, the mobile application allows users of Apple’s iPhone smartphone and iPod Touch pocket computer to refill their prescriptions or those of a family member in just a few simple steps, the Canadian drug store operator said Monday.

Users create their own profile, select their favorite pharmacy store, enter the number of the prescription they want to refill, choose a time to pick up the medication at the selected pharmacy and then forward all of the information to the pharmacist. Registered and secured over the phone, the personal information provided by the user is protected by a password, and this data is used for prescription refill purposes only, according to Jean Coutu.

Besides allowing users to pick their favorite pharmacy, the prescription refill application enables them to locate the five Jean Coutu pharmacies closest to their home, determine the location of pharmacies on a map, play the Jean Coutu jingle by pressing the PJC logo on the welcoming page, check the balance of a Jean Coutu gift card and register their Air Miles collector’s number for convenience.

"We are very proud to add this new function to our Jean Coutu application. In cooperation with Tactio Software, we have created a state-of-the-art iPhone application that allows our customers to have their prescriptions refilled at any time," Alain Lafortune, senior vice president of purchasing and marketing at Jean Coutu Group, said in a statement. "More and more people use a smartphone, so it had become important to position ourselves at the technological forefront and remain a leader in our sector."

Jean Coutu operates a network of 370 franchised stores in the provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario under the banners of PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Clinique, PJC Santé and PJC Santé Beauté.