Amazon to deliver same-day prescriptions in 20 more U.S. cities in 2025

The company will embed the services in its same-day delivery sites, which now includes 45% of the U.S. population.

Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP

Amazon — a company that’s been trying to become the circulatory system for human civilization — is expanding its rapid prescription drug delivery service.

The Seattle-based company plans to add 20 more cities to the rapid drug delivery service footprint in 2025, according to an announcement on its website. The list of markets on track to get the service includes Boston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and San Diego. Other cities will be announced in the coming months.

Amazon started its Amazon Pharmacy arm in 2020.

The pharmacy already gets drugs to customers through conventional means in an average of two or fewer days, the company says.

The company has been offering same-day delivery service by embedding rapid pharmacies in Amazon Same-Day Delivery sites. The planned expansion should make the service available to about 45% of U.S. customers by the end of 2025, Amazon says.

The same-day service complements the traditional mail-order pharmacy, which is in a good position to service customers who need certain medications regularly.

Related: Amazon now requiring employees to be in office 5 days a week

Amazon says it believes it’s in a good position to help improve U.S. health care administration. It points out that, as of 2019, about 70% of hospitals were still using fax machines to transfer patient records.

The company also operates a business that provides primary care online and through brick-and-mortar offices.