Will Online Pharmacies Tap Into Drone Delivery of Prescription Drugs?
The delivery of prescription medications by drone is a new technology that is expected to be used for commercial purposes in the future. The global market for medical drones is expected to grow by nearly 24 percent by the year 2025. Several companies including the United Parcel Service (UPS) and CVS Health Corp. have announced plans to use drones to deliver prescription drugs to seniors.
Canada Post and London Drugs
Canada Post and London Drugs are tapping into the latest in drone technology in hopes of delivering prescription medications to remote patients. The two companies are collaborating on a proof of concept test program, and hope to offer a solution to customers in the near future.
The Canada Post and London Drugs partnership comes on the heels of the country’s first BVLOS drone delivery flight. A battery-operated device will deliver a load of canadian viagra to a patient’s home in as little as 15 minutes.
The new service is part of Canada Post’s ongoing quest to provide excellent customer service. It’s also one of several innovations the company is pursuing.
In addition to the new service, the postal carrier has also been testing simulated deliveries over icy roads, open bodies of water and challenging terrain. Using technology developed by AT&T, the team is monitoring mostly autonomous UAVs to collect data.
The most interesting of the trials involved an all-electric Volans-i drone, which was able to fly over open water between the islands of the Bahamas. It carried an EpiPen loaded with epinephrine. It also had the ability to maintain a temperature of minus 70 degrees Celsius.
Swiss Post and Matternet
Swiss Post and Matternet are partnering to develop the first city-wide drone delivery network in Europe. The service is being developed with a group of private and public entities to provide an urban logistics platform for on-demand ecommerce.
The drones are able to carry up to 2 kilograms of cargo and will travel a range of up to 20 kilometers. This means they’re able to reach locations that wouldn’t be possible with traditional ground transportation.
While a single drone can deliver a medical sample, Matternet plans to use its cloud-based platform to create an end-to-end solution. This includes the ability to manage the safety processes and procedures involved in the operations. The company recently conducted package testing in Phoenix, Arizona.
The partnership between Matternet and Swiss Post was one of the world’s first. They launched a test-run in Lugano, Switzerland, in 2017, and then operated the first commercial BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) drone route in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2018.
In the spring of 2019, the two companies announced they would collaborate on a groundbreaking logistics service. Matternet would deliver prescription medications to The Villages, a retirement community in Florida.
CVS Health Corp. and United Parcel Service (UPS) to deliver prescription medications to a Florida retirement community
CVS Health and United Parcel Service (UPS) have teamed up to launch a new drone delivery program in The Villages, a retirement community in Florida. The partnership is expected to begin in early May and will initially operate under FAA Part 107 rules.
The new drone service is designed to deliver prescription medications to The Villages in central Florida. It will provide an alternative to the time-consuming pharmacy visits required to receive drugs. This will enable residents to get their prescriptions the same day that they order them.
The new drone delivery service will use Matternet’s M2 system. The system is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for drone deliveries. The M2 will drop off parcels and prescriptions near the retirement community.
The Villages is the country’s largest retirement community with 135,000 residents. It is also one of the most condensed communities in the United States, with residents living in close quarters.
Global market for medical drones on track to grow 24.7% by 2025
Medical drones can be used to deliver blood, medication, and vaccines in emergency situations, and they are becoming more common. They help patients get access to medicines and treatments in remote areas where medical facilities are not available. In addition, medical drones can be used for surveillance and public area monitoring. The demand for drones in the healthcare industry is rising due to increasing awareness, and government initiatives.
The growth of the medical drones market is expected to be driven by factors such as increased research, growing public acceptance, and geographic expansion. This technology has the potential to transform emergency services and improve treatment for patients. The use of drones in hospitals and medical centers has been proven to save lives during natural calamities and other emergencies.
The adoption of drones for healthcare applications is accelerating as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. The need for rapid delivery of medicines and medications has also boosted the growth of the market.
