Amazon revealed new kiosks that will allow patients to quickly and conveniently obtain their prescription drugs while still in the doctor’s office.
Experts caution that convenience may come at a price as the pharmacy sector continues its shift toward automation with the launch of Amazon Pharmacy kiosks last week.
The kiosks were created to cut down on time-consuming treks to the pharmacy following a doctor’s appointment, and they are scheduled to debut in a few doctor’s offices in the Los Angeles region in December. Amazon (AMZN) referenced a 2024 J.D. Power study in its press announcement, which revealed that only 51% of consumers thought that retail pharmacies promptly completed their prescriptions.
Although it may save time to fill a prescription just minutes before you leave the doctor’s office, community pharmacists advise patients to be aware of the kiosks’ restrictions. According to specialists, the lack of in-person counseling may raise the chance of errors and negative drug interactions for some patients, while they may be effective for those on prescriptions they are already familiar with. Additionally, their inventory is little.
“The number of medications that can be put into the machine is limited. “We’ve all seen snack or drink vending machines where we really want Snickers, but ‘Oh, they’re out of Snickers, oh my gosh,'” said Douglas Hoey, the National Community Pharmacists Association’s chief executive. “This isn’t a Snickers, then. This is far more significant. It’s out, and you need that medication.”
According to Amazon, the new locations are “pharmacist-supported dispensing points” that “make medications more accessible and affordable” while putting patient safety first rather than being vending machines.
According to a statement sent to MarketWatch via email, “Every prescription filled through Amazon Pharmacy – whether through home delivery or a kiosk – is reviewed by a licensed pharmacist, just as it would be at a traditional pharmacy, and patients can consult with a pharmacist.” “Amazon Pharmacy Kiosks is an optional service that can simplify getting treatment faster – helping patients leave their doctor’s office informed and with medication in hand, not a to-do list.”
The operation of medicine vending machines
With plans to open more locations shortly, Amazon anticipates opening its first pharmacy kiosks at One Medical offices in downtown Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Long Beach, and West Hollywood. The annual cost of One Medical, a primary-care health service that Amazon purchased in 2023, is $99 for Amazon Prime members and $199 for non-Prime users.
Patients must first register for an Amazon Pharmacy account in order to utilize the kiosks. After that, clients can make an appointment at any One Medical site that takes part and request that the doctor deliver any prescription drugs to Amazon Pharmacy. Patients can choose “kiosk pickup” and pay using the Amazon app when they check out. Amazon claims that the drug will be available in a matter of minutes once the app provides a QR code to scan at the kiosk. Additionally, the machines will allow patients to contact a pharmacist by either calling a number that has been supplied or clicking a button on the kiosk screen.
The news release states that this procedure is intended to distribute medication in a matter of minutes.
According to Amazon, these kiosks will help solve the national issue of pharmacy deserts, which occurs when communities lack sufficient access to a local pharmacy, and remove obstacles to prescription availability.
Prescription vending machines are not a new idea; automated pharmacy kiosks that face customers have existed since the mid-2000s, when Asteres, a San Diego-based automated pharmacy business, started placing its ScriptCenter machines in pharmacies and supermarkets.
“What’s new is that Amazon’s putting its name on it, its big brand on it,” admitted Hoey, a pharmacist with licenses in Texas, Oklahoma, and Virginia. However, those machines still have the same constraints. It’s a formulary with limitations.
The news of the Amazon kiosks was encouraging to Emmabella Rudd, a Washington, D.C.-based champion for diabetes research and insulin accessibility. She has experienced multiple instances since receiving a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis at the age of five in which she needed an emergency vial of insulin but was unable to acquire it right away from her pharmacy.
Rudd is delighted by the industry’s commitment toward accessibility, even though the Amazon kiosks won’t carry refrigerated pharmaceuticals. He thinks that insulin will eventually be available at pharmaceutical kiosks.
“I do understand that they’re going to be in these Medical One clinics and probably not have 24-7 access,” Rudd stated. However, if we’re headed in that route, that might be amazing, as many people with diabetes have either misplaced an insulin vial or discovered that their medication has expired. Things arise.
As part of their launch, Amazon Pharmacy kiosks will sell a variety of drugs, such as blood pressure medicine, inhalers, and antibiotics.
The implications for patients of the pharmacy industry’s shift to automation
Hoey is concerned that the absence of in-person interactions with pharmacists at the kiosks may put patients at risk. For instance, without a pharmacist’s guidance, the patient may be unaware of certain drug interactions or how to take a medication.
Those concerns might be allayed by calling an Amazon pharmacist with inquiries about this, but “the last thing I want to do is go through a phone tree,” Hoey stated. “Especially if I’m not feeling well, I just want my medicine.”
According to Amazon, speed and convenience do not take the place of clinical rigor, and the kiosks offer the same clinical control as conventional pharmacies. According to a company spokeswoman, each kiosk has a camera with a live video inside so pharmacists may “do a final check” before distributing medication. Additionally, Amazon stated that until safety tests for drug interactions, allergies, and dosage have been completed, a kiosk will not dispense medication.
According to Mike Sevilla, a family doctor in Salem, Ohio, adding a kiosk as an additional pharmacy option can be perplexing, particularly for elderly patients.
“It’s really overwhelming to try to explain that to patients and say, ‘You can go to this local pharmacy or you can go to a mail-away pharmacy, or in some of these Amazon places they have a kiosk,'” Sevilla stated. “So it’s a little bit more challenging, even though it’s framed as better and more efficient for patients.”
An Amazon representative stated that the company has observed a high uptake of Amazon Pharmacy among senior citizens and that the kiosks are made to be straightforward by default.
However, Hoey stated that “for the vast majority of people, and especially those people who need more than just an occasional drug every now and then, the system breaks down at some point.” Hoey agreed that these kiosks can be a terrific choice for young patients’ hectic lives.
