Amazon brings discount prescription subscription plan to new state
Amazon is now offering a low-cost monthly prescription program for common generic medications in almost all U.S. states.
The online giant is expanding RxPass, a $5 monthly prescription service for U.S. Prime members from Amazon Pharmacy initially launched in 2023, to Texas. This marks the 48th state where RxPass is now available as an Amazon Prime option.
The benefit allows Texas Prime members, including Medicare beneficiaries, access to more than 50 commonly prescribed medications that treat conditions like anxiety, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease for $5 per month, regardless of how many prescriptions they need, with free two-day delivery and same-day service in eligible locations.
[READ MORE: Amazon Prime prescription plan expands access to Medicare recipients]
"At a time when nearly half of the U.S. population is managing chronic conditions, bringing affordable and convenient access to medications through our expansion of RxPass to customers in 48 U.S. states will help many manage their conditions more easily," said John Love, VP of Amazon Pharmacy. "Amazon Pharmacy will continue to leverage Amazon's customer-obsessed approach and extensive delivery network infrastructure to ensure customers enjoy the ease and convenience of managing their health through fast medication delivery."
Healthcare providers can prescribe medications directly to Amazon Pharmacy just as they would with any other pharmacy, while customers can also transfer existing prescriptions. Licensed and trained pharmacists are available 24/7 to address customers’ questions about medications.
RxPass does not use insurance, instead it offers another way to cover the cost of eligible medications for customers with or without insurance. At Amazon Pharmacy, customers have the option to use insurance for some or all of their eligible medications or use savings programs from Prime for eligible medications which do not use insurance.
Amazon launched Amazon Pharmacy, which allows U.S. customers to order prescription medications for home delivery, with free two-day delivery for Amazon Prime members, in November 2020.
The offering represented a major push by Amazon into a $300 billion market that was previously dominated by pharmacy giants such as CVS Health, Walgreens and Rite Aid, along with supermarkets and discounters that offer prescriptions, such as Walmart.
Other low-cost competitors in the prescription drug marketplace include GoodRx, which began directly selling and fulfilling orders for eligible prescription and over-the-counter medications online in October 2024 and also partners with with drugstore retailers including Walgreens and the pharmacy operation of Hy-Vee.
In addition, billionaire entrepreneur and "Shark Tank" star Mark Cuban launched Cost Plus Drugs in 2022 as a registered pharmaceutical wholesaler, which allows it to bypass middlemen and their associated markups. Cost Plus Drugs partners with retailers including Ahold Delhaize USA.
Amazon Pharmacy delivers to all 50 U.S. states, including the District of Columbia.
