MORE than 70% of Amazon customers in the United States would be willing to purchase prescription drugs through the online retailer, according to the results of a new survey carried out by German investment bank Deutsche Bank.
The strong response included a significant cohort of older customers, with 52% of respondents aged 65 years and older in favour of the Amazon pharmacy option.
The survey of consumers aged 18--65 years asked questions on current purchasing habits and preferences, their age, and health insurance type.
The study found that being a member of Amazon Prime --- a paid subscription service offered by Amazon that gives users access to free two-day delivery, streaming music and video, and other benefits for a monthly or yearly fee --- drove interest.
More than 85% of Amazon Prime members who have health insurance said they would be willing to purchase prescription drugs through Amazon, although non-Prime members were less inclined.
Amazon acquired online US pharmacy PillPack, which operates across 49 US states, earlier this year (PD 03 Jul) signalling its potential disruptive role in the industry.
The Deutsche Bank report said the Amazon entry was a matter of "when and where - not if".
Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance fell by more than 9% on the news and healthcare company McKesson Corporation which owns LloydsPharmacy in the UK, dropped by more than 7%.
Pharmacy Guild of Australia executive director David Quilty has previously said of the possible Amazon invasion, "no online provider can compete with the convenience of community pharmacy while the Federal Government sets the patient co-payment for PBS subsidised medicines" (PD 12 Jul).
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