Meds in minutes: Amazon Pharmacy launches drone delivery of prescription drugs
Joining Walgreens, CVS Health and Walmart, Amazon is the latest retail pharmacy to experiment with drone delivery of prescriptions, promising dropoff in 60 minutes or less to “narrow the golden window from diagnosis to treatment.”
Amazon Pharmacy customers in College Station, Texas, now can have prescription medications delivered by drone in less than 60 minutes at no additional cost. The company plans to expand drone delivery to other cities as a way to improve patient health outcomes.
“We’re taught from the first days of medical school that there is a golden window that matters in clinical medicine,” said Dr. Vin Gupta, the company’s chief medical officer. “That’s the time between when a patient feels unwell and when they’re able to get treatment. We’re working hard at Amazon to dramatically narrow the golden window from diagnosis to treatment, and drone delivery marks a significant step forward. Whether it’s an infectious disease or respiratory illness, early intervention can be critical to improving patient outcomes.”
Drone-eligible Amazon Pharmacy customers can select “free drone delivery in less than 60 minutes” at checkout. A pharmacist then will ensure that medications are loaded and transported to a customer’s home within the next hour. College Station residents selecting drone delivery will have access to more than 500 medications that treat common conditions, including flu, asthma and pneumonia.
Amazon is one of several drone delivery companies to earn a Federal Aviation Administration air carrier certificate required to operate drones with advanced capabilities, the company said. Amazon’s drones have safely delivered hundreds of household items in College Station since December 2022.
“Our drones fly over traffic, eliminating the excess time a customer’s package might spend in transit on the road,” said Calsee Hendrickson, director of product and program management for Amazon Prime Air. “That’s the beauty of drone delivery, and medications were the first thing our customers said they also want delivered quickly via drone. Speed and convenience top the wish list for health purchases.”
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Amazon is the latest retail pharmacy to experiment with drone delivery of prescriptions, joining Walgreens, CVS Health and Walmart. Drone delivery is part an effort by retail pharmacies to increase medication adherence and offer health-care services in the right place, at the right time and in the right amount. Even when consumers have drug coverage, studies show at least one in three customers who are prescribed medications don’t pick them up, don’t take them appropriately or don’t take them at all.
“For decades, the customer experience has been to drive to a pharmacy with limited operating hours, stand in line and have a public conversation about your health situation, or to wait five to 10 days for traditional mail-order delivery,” said John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy. “With Amazon Pharmacy, you can quickly get the medications you need — whether by drone or standard delivery — without having to miss soccer practice or leave work early.”