30-minute delivery of prescription medications promised by Walmart

BENTONVILLE, Arkansas: This week, U.S. retailer Walmart pledged to deliver prescription medicines and medication refills, along with groceries and other items, as a single order within 30 minutes.

Walmart's move follows Amazon's plan to open pharmacies offering same-day delivery options across 20 new U.S. cities in 2025. It also extends Walmart's previous efforts to mail prescription medications, which typically took at least five to seven business days.

The speedier prescription delivery service would compete against other same-day pharmacy delivery offerings provided by retailers such as CVS Health and Walgreens.

Walmart operates 4,600 pharmacies and 3,000 vision centers across the U.S. It offers free pharmacy delivery to members of its Walmart Plus program, which costs US$98 per year. Non-members can access the service for a fee of $9.95.

The delivery service will be available in 49 states by the end of January next year, though it is currently accessible in six: Arkansas, Missouri, New York, Nevada, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

The decision to launch the service followed a customer survey indicating a preference for having prescription medications delivered alongside groceries and other items. Walmart plans to use drivers from its Spark Driver gig-delivery network for some of these deliveries, and it also employs alternative methods, such as drones, to complete orders within 30 minutes.

Most medications are eligible for delivery, with the exception of controlled substances, refrigerated items, and Medicare Part B products like wheelchairs and oxygen containers. When placing a pharmacy delivery order through Walmart's app or website, customers must agree to allow Walmart's pharmacy staff to contact their physicians and provide counseling by phone.

A delivery timeframe does not begin until a customer's physician authorizes prescriptions, the spokesperson added. Once approved, customers can add the medications to their cart and choose either same-day, on-demand, or express delivery.

This prescription delivery service is Walmart's latest effort to focus on its pharmacy network. In April, Walmart decided to close 51 health clinics and its virtual healthcare operations.