Amazon unveils plan for ultra-fast prescription drug delivery in Seattle, other U.S. cities

Amazon is moving into a space that many brick-and-mortar pharmacies are vacating. The Seattle-based company unveiled its pharmacy and health care ambitions Thursday at an event in Sumner, Wash.

That vision includes ultra-fast prescription delivery and a range of telehealth offerings that aim to shake up traditional in-person health. Amazon is now offering same-day prescription delivery in Seattle and a handful of other markets — and it’s not stopping there.

“By the end of this year, customers in Seattle, New York, Miami, Phoenix, and Indianapolis, and Austin will be able to get sub-same day,” John Love, Amazon's vice president of pharmacy. “So if you're not feeling well and you see a doctor in the afternoon, you might get those meds delivered to your doorstep before you go to sleep at night.”

Amazon’s massive e-commerce operation has the ability to provide that service now, but eventually the company wants to deliver prescriptions in under an hour. That’s where the drones come in.

During the “Delivering the Future” event, Amazon announced it is offering prescription drug delivery via drone in College Station, Texas. When asked whether the technology could come to Seattle anytime soon, Love declined to comment.

College Station is one of two test sites for Amazon drone delivery, chosen because they are relatively flat, dry, and close to necessary resources. It remains to be seen whether the technology can be scaled to other locations, like rainy Seattle.

Critics claim Amazon has flown too close to the sun with its drone ambitions. A deep dive from Wired earlier this year portrayed a program marked by far more failure than success.

Whether drones turn out to be just a novelty or a key part of Amazon’s delivery infrastructure, the company sees health care as a big opportunity. Through a series of acquisitions and investments, Amazon now offers a variety of virtual care options and pharmacies around the country.

That could pose a real threat to brick-and-mortar pharmacies that have struggled since the pandemic. Rite-Aid announced plans to file for bankruptcy earlier this week, imperiling Bartell Drugs locations in the Seattle area.

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