Amazon is competing with Walmart in the delivery business and against pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens.
Amazon Pharmacy has announced it is expanding same-day delivery to close to 4,500 cities this year.
This will add nearly 2,000 new communities to expansion efforts that began in 2024 in New York City and greater Los Angeles. New states offering same-day medication delivery include Idaho and Massachusetts.
Amazon is competing against Walmart, Optum Home Delivery, Cigna Express Scripts and CVS Caremark in the home drug delivery business.
Traditional mail-order delivery service takes between five and 10 days, Amazon said. Amazon Pharmacy achieved faster delivery speeds in 2025 across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., it said.
Amazon Pharmacy is also expanding through Amazon’s One Medical and Amazon Prime.
In Los Angeles, One Medical patients can pick up prescriptions within minutes at Amazon Pharmacy Kiosks located within the clinics. These in-person kiosks are being expanded to additional locations in 2026.
Prime members without insurance can save up to 80% on generic medications and 40% on brand-name medications.
While it is moving aggressively to disrupt the mail-order and traditional pharmacy market, Amazon still holds about 1% of that market, according to Seeking Alpha. In comparison, Walmart has 4.8% of the pharmacy market due to 4,600 in-store pharmacies and delivery options.
Amazon touts delivery options that can reach customers in remote locations such as on Mackinac Island, Michigan, where delivery is made by ferry and a horse-drawn carriage. In Manhattan, Amazon delivers medications with e-bikes.
Beyond the marketing optics, the expansion addresses pharmacy closures – CVS Pharmacy bought Rite Aid stores and prescriptions last year – staffing shortages, transportation barriers and a growing medication access challenge, according to Amazon.
Amazon Pharmacy delivers to remote Alaska towns and across the Navajo Nation in communities such as Fort Defiance and Keams Canyon, where the nearest brick-and-mortar pharmacy is more than a 45-minute drive away.
“Patients shouldn’t have to choose between speed, cost and convenience when it comes to their medication, regardless of where they live,” said John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy. “By combining our pharmacy expertise with our logistics network, we’re removing critical barriers and helping patients start treatment faster– setting a new standard for accessible, digital-forward pharmacy care.”
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