December 28, 2024

The Amazon Pharmacy home screen is shown on a smartphone on November 17, 2020.

Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Amazon The company said Wednesday it plans to offer same-day prescription delivery to 20 more cities next year, marking the latest phase of its push into health care.

Amazon said it will offer fast drug delivery in nearly half of the United States as part of an expansion plan, and it is embedding pharmacies into same-day delivery facilities that are often clustered around major metropolitan areas. The company announced its plans at a news conference at a warehouse near Nashville, Tennessee.

Following the launch of same-day pharmacy delivery services in Indianapolis, Miami, Phoenix, Seattle and Austin, Texas, Amazon launched same-day pharmacy delivery services in New York and Los Angeles in March this year. Some of the cities that will be added in 2025 include Boston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and San Diego.

The company has been working to speed up drug delivery. The company has been testing delivery of prescription drugs via drone in a Texas city. The company said that in most cases, when shoppers order their medication for same-day delivery by 4 p.m., they can receive it at home by 10 p.m.

The prescriptions are delivered through Amazon Pharmacy, part of its website and app that allows shoppers to order medications and offers free shipping to Prime members. Amazon Pharmacy was launched in 2020 and grew out of the company’s 2018 acquisition of online pharmacy PillPack. company January says The company doubled the number of clients it serves last year but did not provide specific numbers.

It faces competition from traditional pharmacies such as CVS and walgreensand other large retailers offering pharmacy services, e.g. Walmart. Amazon said Wednesday it is taking advantage of care gaps created by a growing number of “pharmacy deserts” in the United States, which can limit patients’ access to medications and pharmacist care. Chains like Walgreens and CVS have recently closed hundreds of stores as they struggle to stay profitable.

Amazon’s online pharmacy is part of the company’s multiyear push into the health care industry. The company acquired primary care provider One Medical in July 2022 for about $3.9 billion.

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