Amazon is expanding its same-day prescription delivery service to 20 more U.S. cities next year, as part of its continued push into the healthcare sector.
This expansion, which will cover nearly half of the country, involves placing pharmacies within Amazon’s same-day delivery facilities near major metro areas.
The announcement was made during an event at a warehouse in Nashville, Tennessee.
The service was first introduced in New York and Los Angeles in March after successful launches in Indianapolis, Miami, Phoenix, Seattle, and Austin.
The new cities expected to benefit from this service in 2025 include Boston, Dallas, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and San Diego.
Amazon Pharmacy allows Prime members to receive prescriptions at home within hours of ordering.Amazon says customers can receive their prescriptions at home by 10 p.m. if ordered by 4 p.m., speeding up access to medication.
Amazon Pharmacy, the company’s online prescription service, was launched in 2020 following its acquisition of PillPack in 2018.
Prime members receive free delivery for their prescriptions through this service. Amazon is also exploring drone delivery for prescriptions in select areas, testing the technology in a Texas city.
Facing competition from established players like CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart, Amazon is looking to fill gaps in access to pharmacies, especially in “pharmacy deserts”—areas with limited access to medication and pharmacist care.
The company cited the closure of many pharmacy locations by traditional chains as an opportunity to meet this demand.
In addition to its online pharmacy, Amazon has been making strides in healthcare through its acquisition of One Medical, a primary care provider, and through initiatives like its short-lived telehealth service, Amazon Care.
These efforts signal Amazon’s long-term strategy to become a dominant player in healthcare.