Walgreens teams up to offer free delivery of COVID-19 medication
Walgreens has launched a new delivery service to help expand access to a key medication for those diagnosed with COVID-19.
The company is partnering with Uber and Door Dash to offer free delivery of Paxlovid, a COVID-19 oral antiviral therapy, directly to the doorsteps of those who need it. The service is available to anyone who lives within 15 miles of the more than 8,000 Walgreens locations that offer same-day delivery services (about 92% of the population, according to the company.)
The initiative is aimed at increasing access to COVID-19 treatment, with a focus on reaching those in socially vulnerable or medically underserved areas. It comes at a time when COVID-19 cases are beginning to rise again across the United States. According to Walgreens COVID-19 Index data, overall positivity rates reached 36% this week.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health disparities and emphasized the need to address long-standing barriers, including access to treatments,” said Anita Patel, PharmD, VP, pharmacy services development, Walgreens. “Our pharmacy teams will continue to play a trusted and essential role in helping to keep people protected from COVID-19, including getting people vaccinated, tested and treated as safely, equitably and effectively as possible.”
Eligible patients must have a Paxlovid prescription from a healthcare provider. After the pharmacy has filled the prescription and before it gets picked up, individuals can go online to select same-day delivery by visiting Walgreens.com/PrescriptionDelivery, the Walgreens app or by calling their store.
This initiative is the latest offering in an ongoing collaboration between Walgreens, DoorDash and Uber to increase accessibility of life-saving treatments to medically underserved and underrepresented areas following the companies’ response to the White House COVID-19 call to action to ensure a safe and healthy winter.
Walgreens first added DoorDash as an on-demand delivery partner in summer 2020, when online delivery volumes as a whole were rising to meet the needs of consumers homebound by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walgreens has partnered with Uber to provide free rides to Walgreens stores and offsite vaccine clinics for members of underserved communities to receive COVID-19 vaccinations since February 2021.
Walgreens operates nearly 9,000 retail locations across America, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.