Amazon Pharmacy is an American online pharmacy which is a subsidiary of Amazon. The business was launched on November 17, 2020, initially offering pharmacy service only in the United States.
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Pharmaceutical |
| Founded | November 17, 2020 |
Area served | United States |
| Services | Online pharmacy |
| Parent | Amazon |
| Website | pharmacy |
Launch and business model
editOn November 17, 2020, Amazon launched Amazon Pharmacy.[1] The move was described as "arguably Amazon’s broadest push into the healthcare business to-date."
Amazon Pharmacy's business is based on sales. The company offers free, two-day home delivery of prescriptions to Amazon Prime subscribers.[2] Amazon Pharmacy requires customers to establish a secure pharmacy profile to manage insurance and medical information.[3] At the time of its formation, Amazon Pharmacy's operation was limited to the United States.[3] At the time of its launch, Amazon Pharmacy also announced its intention to offer a help line staffed by pharmacists and a discount program for uninsured customers.[4]
Challenges faced by Amazon Pharmacy include the need for customers to ask doctors to redirect prescriptions, customer habit in using nearby brick-and-mortar drug stores, and customer desire to speak in person with a pharmacist.[5]
Impact on existing pharmacies
editThe formation of Amazon Pharmacy was expected to result in disruption of the retail pharmacy sector.[6] On the day of its launch, stock prices for competitors dropped: GoodRx by 20%; Rite Aid by 16%; and Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy by 9% each.[4] In all, drugstores, drug distributors, and health insurers lost $22 billion in market value on the day of Amazon Pharmacy's launch.[7]
An analysis from Citi Research called the announcement "a disruption to the system and competitive threat that will likely shift scripts away from the retail channel."[6] An Edwards Jones analyst opined that Amazon Pharmacy was a particular threat to smaller drugstores that lack the purchasing power of major drugstore chains.[6]
Some employers, such as 7-Eleven, began only paying for prescriptions through Amazon Pharmacy following its launch through their health insurance plan.[citation needed]
Relationship to PillPack
editThe establishment of Amazon Pharmacy followed Amazon's acquisition of PillPack in June 2018 for a reported US$753 million.[8] In an interim step, Amazon rebranded PillPack in November 2019 as "PillPack, by Amazon Pharmacy".[9] With the launch of Amazon Pharmacy, the company announced that PillPack would continue to operate as a "distinct service for customers managing multiple daily medications for chronic conditions."[2]
References
edit- ^ "Amazon opens online pharmacy with prescription delivery". CBS News. November 17, 2020.
- ^ a b Jordan Valinsky (November 17, 2020). "Amazon is now a drug store. It will ship prescriptions to Prime members". CNN.com.
- ^ a b Allison Xu (November 17, 2020). "Amazon launches Amazon Pharmacy". TechCrunch.
- ^ a b "How Bad Is Amazon Pharmacy for CVS and Walgreens?". Barron's. November 17, 2020.
- ^ Angelica LaVito; Matt Day (November 17, 2020). "Amazon Expands Push Into Health Care With Online Pharmacy". Bloomberg.
- ^ a b c "Amazon opens online pharmacy, shaking up another industry". Associated Press. November 17, 2020.
- ^ Cristin Flanagan (November 17, 2020). "Drugstores, Insurers Suffer $22 Billion Blow on Amazon Move". Bloomberg.
- ^ Farr, Christina (2019-05-10). "The inside story of why Amazon bought PillPack in its effort to crack the $500 billion prescription market". CNBC.
- ^ Garcia, Ahiza (2019-11-15). "Amazon rolls out 'Amazon Pharmacy' branding to PillPack". CNN Business. Cable News Network. Retrieved 2019-11-18.