Tech at Large Topic of the Week

Amazon Pharmacy now sells prescription drugs

After Amazon Care, Amazon goes all out in the market of prescription drugs by launching Amazon Pharmacy. What does this mean for patients and competitors? We decided to find out.

Amazon Pharmacy

Less than a week ago and with little short notice, Amazon announced Amazon this newest foray in the prescription drugs market. Signing on is easy enough; just tell your doctor to forward your prescriptions to the nearest Amazon Pharmacy. That way the company knows what pills to send ya. About pricing; Amazon claims to give 80% discounts on generic medication when paying without insurance. Thus, a lot of co-pay plans could end up more expensive than just paying the Amazon Pharmacy out-of-pocket.

Drugstore chains aren’t sweating

The news about Amazon Pharmacy caused quite the media stir. That said, the big pharmacy companies like CVS and Walgreens aren’t really worrying. Even in the midst of the pandemic, most Americans still prefer to pick up their drugs in person. Still, a look at the long game reveals a different picture – younger patients are much more likely to prefer mail-in prescriptions, and Prime members get free 2-day delivery.

Amazon Pharmacy vs. Pillpack

Pillpack will continue to operate just as before, side-by-side with Amazon Pharmacy. Amazon’s simplistic “bottle vs. packs” marketing is kind of to-the-point. The New Hampshire-based subsidiary will market itself more towards older patient that take several drugs and need help organizing them better. Amazon’s in-house service, on the other hand, will likely target younger Prime users looking to get more use out of their premium membership.

The future

Will Amazon become a mainstay in the market? A lot of people start to draw comparisons between Amazon and Wall-E’s Buy’n’Large, the megacorp responsible for Earth’s materialistic demise. Do you find this accurate? Tell us what you think at Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook!

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