CVS Uses UPS Drones to Deliver Medication

It’s official: CVS is getting into the drone delivery business. On November 1st, CVS completed its first paid home deliveries of prescription medication using UPS drones. The drones were deployed and flew autonomously to two different homes in Cary, North Carolina. Once there, they lowered the packages onto the ground with a cable and winch (a human operator was standing by, though he didn’t need to interfere). This news come just a couple of months after UPS received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to deploy unlimited delivery drones.

CVS and UPS’ Drone Delivery May Change the Way Customers Receive Prescription Medicine

The fact that these first-ever drone deliveries were successful bodes well for both CVS and UPS. As time moves forward, CVS will continue to use UPS drones to deliver medication to customer’s doorsteps immediately once the prescriptions are ready.

Kevin Hourican, president of CVS Pharmacy, weighed in on the November 1st milestone in an official statement.

“This drone delivery, the first of its kind in the industry, demonstrates what’s possible for our customers who can’t easily make it into our stores,” he said. “CVS is exploring many types of delivery options for urban, suburban and rural markets. We see big potential in drone delivery in rural communities where life-saving medications are needed and consumers at times cannot conveniently access one of our stores.”

Can I Get All My CVS Prescriptions Through Drone Delivery Now?

While picking up prescriptions at the pharmacy may soon become a thing of the past, we’re not quite there yet. There’s still a long way to go until getting your allergy medicine dropped on your doorstep becomes a reality. After all, CVS and UPS have only completed two drone deliveries so far.

Be that as it may, the successful November 1st deliveries are still quite a milestone. They mark the first-ever drone deliveries of prescription medication. More importantly, however, they point towards a future when drones will deliver medicine no matter where the customers are located. At some point soon, everyone may be able to receive prescription medication from CVS without going to pick it up.