Amazon finally launches its online pharmacy service, allowing doctors to deliver their patients' prescriptions directly. Patients can also send their medications, and Pharmacy will provide the meds right in front of their doors.
"We work hard behind the scenes to handle complications seamlessly so anyone who needs a prescription can understand their options," said Amazon Pharmacy vice-president TJ Parker, as reported by the BBC.
Pharmacy is a growing business, which has been estimated to hit worldwide revenues of $131 billion by 2025. The e-commerce giant launched its newest venture in the health world two years after acquiring online pharmacy company PillPack for $753 million, The Washington Post reports.
How Does It Work?
Customers must be over 18 and submit their date of birth, gender, insurance number, allergy details, and a bunch of essential health information. Any Amazon Prime member may benefit from free two-day delivery and a discount of up to 80 percent on generic medicines. Most insurance does cover Amazon Pharmacy.
"Place their order at the lowest available price and have their medication delivered quickly," TJ Parker added.
After signing up, customers are free to explore its wide variety of pricing options. Customers can either contact their doctors to get a prescription or ask Amazon Pharmacy's authorized doctor for it.
Unfortunately, Amazon Pharmacy is only available for US customers. It only serves in 45 states, excluding Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Minnesota.
If Amazon Pharmacy does well in the United States, it is safe to assume that it will be heading towards worldwide service anytime in the future.
However, providing health data for such a giant tech company breathes so much concern.
Several pharmacy owners have expressed their privacy concerns over the acquisition. Some customers claimed to have received unsolicited phone calls from a company asking about their health condition, as Pharmacy Times noted.
Not the Only Venture
This is not Amazon's solo venture in the healthcare business. The company is ambitious to become the people's number one stop for everything, whether it's small-time snacks or essential meds for daily use.
Three months ago, Amazon launched its 'Halo' smart health service, which comes with a 'Halo Band' wearable tracker. The small, wrist-worn band gives users a deep-dive into their health and activity, skin temperature, and sleeping condition.
It comes with a long-lasting built-in battery, two microphones, a heart rate monitor, and an accelerometer.
Although the e-commerce mogul believed that Halo and Band were developed with 'privacy in mind,' the concerns have always been there. For the best Halo experience, the device asks for specific, in-depth details about the sleep rate, body temperature, heart rate, exercise, and many more.
