NOVEMBER 2, 2017: Rumors are, once again, starting to circulate after the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the internet retail giant Amazon has obtained licenses to become a wholesale drug distributor in 12 U.S. states.
These states include Nevada, Arizona, North Dakota, Louisiana, Alabama, New Jersey, Michigan, Connecticut, Idaho, New Hampshire, Oregon and Tennessee.
This follows hints last Spring that the company was considering moving into the drug market, as well as new revelations last month from CNBC. According to that report, which cited an internal email, senior officials in the organization will decide whether to open a pharmacy division of Amazon before American Thanksgiving (Amazon did not confirm or deny this publicly).
That said, these licences aren’t definitive proof that the company has, in fact, decided to make the move. According to CNBC, these licences also cover the distribution of medical, surgical and other health-care equipment, which Amazon currently sells.
To sell drugs, the company would also have to apply for additional licences at both the state and national level, which it hasn’t done yet. If Amazon does move into this sector, it would likely negatively affect the stock value of existing pharmacy chains, according to Engadget.
Big data analytics are likely to change way drugs are marketed but it’s unclear how that will work with current regulations.
CANADIANHEALTHCARENETWORK