Amazon announced Wednesday that it will start testing drones to deliver medications in 60 minutes or less.
The first deliveries that will test the drones will be in College Station, Texas, according to Amazon.
The drone is programmed to fly from a delivery center that has a “secure pharmacy” and will head to the customer’s address. Once the drone is about 13 feet from the location, it will drop the package that will be in a padded envelope, according to The Associated Press.
Amazon said that residents in College Station will be able to request over 500 medications, Forbes reported. The deliveries can include medications that treat the flu, asthma and pneumonia.
“We’re taught from the first days of medical school that there is a golden window that matters in clinical medicine,” said Dr. Vin Gupta, chief medical officer of Amazon Pharmacy. “That’s the time between when a patient feels unwell and when they’re able to get treatment. We’re working hard at Amazon to dramatically narrow the golden window from diagnosis to treatment, and drone delivery marks a significant step forward. Whether it’s an infectious disease or respiratory illness, early intervention can be critical to improving patient outcomes.”
Prime Air division of Amazon has been testing drone deliveries since last December in College Station and Lockeford, California, according to the AP. The drone deliveries have made thousands of deliveries since and it is expanding by delivering prescriptions, Amazon spokesperson Jessica Bardoulas said.
Prime members have similar access except with a two-day delivery on their first order of a medication rather than a 60-minute delivery that the company is testing.
“Amazon Pharmacy currently offers Same-Day Delivery in Austin, Indianapolis, Miami, Phoenix, and Seattle. Amazon Pharmacy customers have 24/7 access to a pharmacist to discuss questions about their medications,” Amazon said.
“For decades, the customer experience has been to drive to a pharmacy with limited operating hours, stand in line, and have a public conversation about your health situation, or to wait five-to-10 days for traditional mail-order delivery,” said John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy. “With Amazon Pharmacy, you can quickly get the medications you need—whether by drone or standard delivery—without having to miss soccer practice or leave work early.”
“We’re making the process of getting the acute and chronic medications customers need easier, faster, and more affordable,” said Love. “Rapid delivery changes the prescription delivery paradigm from days to minutes, and represents a dramatic improvement over what patients are used to.”
How the delivery drone works, according to Amazon:
Amazon’s drones will fly at about 40 to 120 meters altitude. It will use its built-in “sense-and-avoid technology” to navigate so it doesn’t interfere with powerlines or get in the way of people or animals.
Once it arrives at the customer’s house, it will try to detect the surroundings so it doesn’t hit a building and can safely land on the ground, the company said. Once that package is in a clear delivery zone, it will release the package and head back to the delivery center.
“Our drones fly over traffic, eliminating the excess time a customer’s package might spend in transit on the road,” said Calsee Hendrickson, director of product and program management at Prime Air. “That’s the beauty of drone delivery, and medications were the first thing our customers said they also want delivered quickly via drone. Speed and convenience top the wish list for health purchases.”