Amazon Pharmacy debuts drug-dispensing kiosks at One Medical

Amazon announced yesterday that its pharmacy will debut prescription-dispensing kiosks inside select One Medical offices across greater Los Angeles starting in December.

This new service, which will be the first in-person pick-up service offered by Amazon Pharmacy, allows patients to pick up certain medications "within minutes" after an in-person visit, the company said in a press release.

The kiosks work similarly to vending machines, storing hundreds of commonly prescribed drugs such as antibiotics, inhalers and blood-pressure medications.

All inventory will be tailored to each office's prescribing patterns. However, controlled substances and refrigerated products, like insulin and GLP-1 drugs, will not be offered at any kiosk, Amazon said.

At first, the kiosks will only be available to those receiving in-person care at participating One Medical offices. Patients do not need to be a One Medical member to use the kiosks.

The company also said there is no additional fee to use the electronic kiosks and that insurance will be accepted.

Before patients can access the kiosk, a One Medical provider must send a prescription to Amazon Pharmacy to be verified by a pharmacist. Users can then complete their order in the Amazon app and scan the provided QR code at the kiosk.

A remote pharmacist completes a final review of the order before the medication is dispensed.

"We know that when patients have to make an extra trip to the pharmacy after seeing their doctor, many prescriptions never get filled," Hannah McClellan, vice president of operations, Amazon Pharmacy, said in the release. "By bringing the pharmacy directly to the point of care, we're removing a critical barrier and helping patients start their treatment when it matters most -- right away."

Citing national data that nearly one-third of prescriptions are never filled and half of chronic-condition medications aren't taken as prescribed, the company is framing the rollout as an attempt to close those gaps.

But as retail pharmacy chains continue to contend with declining drug margins and slumped consumer spending, leading to a wave of closures across the nation, these on-location kiosks have the potential to further disrupt brick-and-mortar pharmacies.

Since 2022, CVS has closed 900 stores and plans to close 270 this year in total. Walgreens intends to shut down 1000+ underperforming locations over the next three years, including 500 stores this year alone.

And just last week, Rite Aid closed all its remaining stores after filing for bankruptcy, marking the end of 63 years in business.

Amazon Pharmacy said its kiosks will expand to additional One Medical offices and other locations outside of California in 2026 and that it is currently in talks with external health systems, working to secure partnerships for introducing more on-location kiosks.

Alivia Kaylor is a scientist and the senior site editor of Pharma Life Sciences.