NEW YORK – Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. is rolling out a nationwide next-day prescription-delivery service to fend off competition from Amazon.com Inc. and numerous venture capital-backed startups.
Walgreens has thousands of retail stores, which could give it a leg up in speedy distribution of prescription drugs. But Amazon also has a sizable network of stores where consumers can pick up things they order online after its takeover of the grocery chain Whole Foods.
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The new service would allow patients to go online to fill a prescription and pick it up in a drugstore or have it delivered by FedEx Corp. the next day for $4.99. Same-day service will be available in select areas. Walgreens and rival CVS Health Corp. face a looming threat from Amazon, which bought online pharmacy PillPack for about $1 billion in June. While Amazon hasn’t disclosed its plans, its new online pharmacy has licenses in every state. Several venture-backed startups also offer same-day prescription delivery or websites that allow you to pay in advance for drugs and pick them up at a drugstore of your choice. CVS started offering one-to-two day home delivery nationwide for $4.99 in June. It also has same day-delivery in certain areas.
Robert Langreth is a reporter for Bloomberg News.
