Amazon Wants To Sell You Prescription Medications

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Amazon has launched an online pharmacy, sending shares of CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid tumbling.

Steven Senne/AP

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Steven Senne/AP

Shots — Health News
CVS Looks To Make Its Drugstores A Destination For Health Care

Now the retailer says its shoppers can order generic and name-brand drugs for delivery within days. That includes common prescriptions such as insulin, inhalers and blood pressure medications. The company says it will not deliver most opioids, which are controlled substances.

Amazon has launched the service for now in 45 states, excluding Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and Minnesota. Amazon Pharmacy promises free two-day delivery for members of the company’s Prime subscription, which costs $119 a year in the United States.

The retailer says its pharmacy will accept most insurance. But it’s also promoting its own discount program for paying subscribers, which Amazon says will apply not only to its marketplace but also at 50,000 other pharmacies nationwide.

Editor’s note: Amazon, CVS and Walgreens are among NPR’s recent financial supporters.

• pharmacy
• CVS
• Walgreens
• prescription drugs
• Amazon
• Pharmaceuticals