Amazon continues to diversify its business. The e-commerce giant launched its home drug delivery service, RxPass, on Tuesday, January 24. An offer billed at $5 per month, in addition to the Prime subscription.
Online pharmacists if needed
Upon activation of the service, US users will be able to obtain commonly used generic drugs for over 80 different medical conditions. Like a traditional pharmacy, the user simply has to send in his prescription. A model that largely incorporates the codes of online shopping, already adopted by many Prime users. The cost includes delivery and remains the same, regardless of the number of prescriptions.
Customers of Amazon’s service will be able to be referred by real pharmacists, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in case of questions about one or more drugs. “All customers who pay more than $10 per month for their eligible medications will see their prescription costs reduced by 50% or more, and they will save time by avoiding trips to the pharmacy“, welcomed John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy. The American firm believes it can save an average of $ 100 per year on prescription costs, based on estimates of the main diseases from which Americans suffer.
A two-speed delivery?
On the other hand, people who do not have Medicare, the federal health insurance system, nor Medicaid, a health insurance for people with low resources, cannot access the service, specifies the wall street journal. In addition, several states do not yet have access to RxPass.
For several months, Amazon has been trying to take root in the health sector. In November, the Seattle firm launched Amazon Clinic, its teleconsultation service by message for common and mild pathologies (allergies, heartburn).
The arrival of RxPass with Prime is above all a marketing stunt, according to Meredith Rosenthal, professor of economics and health policy at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, relayed by the WSJ. The service could help reduce expenses for some customers, but would be more about creating “a foundation upon which Amazon can then credibly expand into the broader retail pharmacy market.” A first life-size test which should be confined to the United States for some time yet.