Amazon’s Innovative Drone Delivery Service: Medications Now Available in Texas

Amazon Pharmacy customers located in College Station, Texas can now have their prescription medications delivered by drone, the company announced in a blog post on Wednesday.

Eligible customers can access over 500 medications, including treatments for common conditions like asthma and the flu, and have their medications delivered to their doorstep by a drone. According to Amazon, the deliveries will be made in less than 60 minutes, and there will be no additional cost.

Shares of Amazon experienced a 1% decline on Wednesday.

Amazon Pharmacy is an online full-service pharmacy. It was launched in 2020 after Amazon acquired PillPack in 2018. The company has been enticing Amazon Pharmacy customers with prescription perks and savings benefits for Prime members this year.

Amazon stated that its drones are equipped with cameras that enable them to detect objects like people and animals. These drones operate at an altitude of 40 to 120 meters in airspace with “minimal obstacles,” said the company.

When a drone determines that the delivery area is clear, it will descend and release the package containing the customer’s medication. However, if the drone identifies obstacles, it will return to the Amazon fulfillment center and attempt the delivery again later.

To qualify for drone delivery, customers in College Station, Texas need to sign up for Prime Air and complete a yard survey.

Amazon has been working on drone delivery for several years and has faced both success and challenges. In August, the company lost two key executives in its drone delivery operations, and CEO Andy Jassy carried out significant layoffs in the Prime Air unit.

Despite these internal changes, Amazon highlighted that it has successfully delivered “hundreds of household items” to consumers in College Station since late last year.