Older adults in one Texas town looking to simplify their medication management might be able to have prescriptions delivered via drone.
Amazon Pharmacy announced Wednesday that customers in College Station, TX, now can order prescription medications online and have them dropped outside their door via drone service within the hour. Eligible customers can select the free service at checkout. A pharmacist will ensure that the medications are loaded and transported to a customer’s home, according to the company.
The prescription delivery service builds on Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery service launched last summer in Lockeford, CA, and College Station, TX. Amazon said that it will announce a third location for drone delivery by the end of the year, AP reported.
The growing effort could benefit independent living and assisted living residents who manage their own medications, as well as older adults and others who live in houses in the greater community.
The drug delivery drone will fly at an altitude of 40 to 130 meters to avoid obstacles, Amazon said. Built-in sense-and-avoid technology will use sensors and cameras to navigate around people, pets and powerlines.
On arrival at the customer’s home, the drone can check for interference before lowering itself above a delivery marker and releasing the package. It is programmed to rise back up and return to the delivery center once it completes a delivery.
“We’re taught from the first days of medical school that there is a golden window that matters in clinical medicine. That’s the time between when a patient feels unwell and when they’re able to get treatment,” Vin Gupta, MD, MPA, chief medical officer of Amazon Pharmacy, said in a statement. “We’re working hard at Amazon to dramatically narrow the gold window from diagnosis to treatment, and drone delivery marks a significant step forward.”
Drone delivery pilots occurring around the nation
Amazon is one of a handful of drone delivery companies to earn Federal Aviation Administration air carrier certification required to operate drones with advanced capabilities.
In Ohio, a recent partnership between OhioHealth and drone delivery company Zipline aims to support residents in the Columbus, OH, metropolitan area with delivery of prescription medication, medical supplies and lab samples.
Some senior living communities or their residents are partnering with drone companies for their medical supplies. A pilot program began in Chandler, AZ, earlier this year to deliver medical supplies to an assisted living community.
Within the past few years, senior living communities have tested similar programs offered by CVS Pharmacy in Florida and North Carolina.
Walmart previously partnered with drone services provider DroneUp and Quest Diagnostics to deliver COVID-19 tests to customers’ homes in Las Vegas and Cheektowaga, NY, during the pandemic. The Arkansas-based retailer also teamed up with Zipline to deliver health and wellness products near its Bentonville, AR, headquarters.
