Amazon is launching its first drone delivery service for prescription medication in College Station, Texas, one of two U.S. locations where the company’s Prime Air service currently operates.
The company is offering free drone delivery of medications in 60 minutes or less to customers in the service area. The service works in conjunction with a pharmacy now running at Amazon’s Prime Air facility in the region.
Amazon says the pharmacy stocks more than 500 medications for common ailments including flu, asthma, and pneumonia. A pharmacist fills the prescription and ensures it’s properly loaded for delivery to the customer.
The service combines the Amazon Pharmacy business with the Amazon Prime Air package delivery service that the company has been running in College Station since December 2022. Amazon also offers Prime Air package delivery (but not yet prescription medications via drone) in Lockeford, Calif.
Amazon says Prime Air prescription delivery will expand to additional cities in future years. The company says it’s part of an effort to narrow the window between a patient feeling unwell, getting diagnosed, and receiving treatment, with the goal of ultimately improving healthcare outcomes.
To be eligible for drone delivery of packages, customers need to complete a Prime Air onboarding process that includes a yard survey to ensure they can receive a package via drone. They then receive a delivery marker from Amazon that they place at a designated location after placing an order for delivery via drone.
Under Federal Aviation Administration consent, Amazon’s drones fly at an altitude of 40 to 120 meters (about 131 to 394 feet), which Amazon describes as an “airspace with minimal obstacles.” The drones use built-in sensors and cameras to avoid obstacles such as people, pets, and power lines, according to the company.
The drones descend to about 4 meters (13 feet) to drop the package onto the target.
Amazon Pharmacy is part of Amazon’s broader healthcare initiatives, which also include the Amazon Clinic virtual healthcare service; and One Medical, the primary care service acquired by the company last year. Amazon shut down its Amazon Care virtual and in-person healthcare service last year.
