Amazon Pharmacy Will Reach Nearly Half of America Next Year

Amazon Pharmacy is about to extend its reach. The online retail giant recently announced plans to provide same-day medication delivery to nearly half the U.S.

Next year, 20 new pharmacies will be added to Amazon’s network, roughly double its current number. Once the additional pharmacies are incorporated into Amazon’s same-day delivery sites, about 45% of customers in the U.S. will have the option to receive prescriptions within 24 hours of ordering.

“We’ve been shipping medications quickly all across the U.S. 90% or more in two days. But when you’re not feeling well or if you have a sick child at home, you really need the meds incredibly quickly,” said John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy, per USA Today.

Easy, inexpensive access to medication has been an ongoing pain point for pharmacy customers. According to Amazon, its extensive logistics network and sophisticated automation technology overseen by licensed pharmacists can tackle this problem and provide an overall better pharmacy experience.

Currently, same-day pharmacy delivery service is available in several major cities, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, and Seattle. Cities confirmed to be added before the end of 2025 will be Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, and San Diego, with more locations to be announced over the next few months.

Get Prescriptions From Amazon Pharmacy

While Amazon’s pharmacies aren’t physical locations, customers do get 24/7 access to pharmacists and upfront pricing. In either 30-day or 90-day supply doses, medications are mailed for free to Prime members or for a small fee to non-Prime members. Amazon Pharmacy accepts most health insurance plans and government programs.

Amazon Pharmacy carries the most common drugs prescribed to patients, such as blood pressure and high cholesterol medications. However, Schedule II medications like oxycodone or specialty drugs that need to be administered by a doctor are not available.

Amazon started its pharmacy network after the purchase of Pillpack in 2018. The acquisition was a first step into the $500-billion-a-year prescription drug industry.

However, the idea of same-day prescription delivery has since been slow to catch on. Yet, with recent struggles experienced by competitors like CVS, Amazon hopes to change that by expanding access to patients in areas not sufficiently served by other pharmacies.