Amazon opens new same-day pharmacy fulfillment facility in Corona, its 1st in California

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- When it comes to delivering packages fast, Amazon has it down to a science. Now for the first time in California, the company has added same-day delivery for prescription medications.

"It's really like ordering anything on Amazon, like a book or a pitching wedge for the golf course," said Vice President of Amazon Pharmacy John Love.

Love says half of Americans don't take their prescribed meds, because they can't afford it or it's inconvenient to get. This is where Amazon hopes to fill the void.

"The access is inconsistent. There's pharmacy deserts where they're not nearby. There's some that have hours that are challenging. Sometimes, you might wait in line," Love said.

What makes this pharmacy concept in Corona unique is that it's right next door to a delivery hub that offers same-day service to the Inland Empire and the Greater Los Angeles area. Your doctor just calls it in.

"Our pharmacists will get that script, review it clinically, let you know if you want to use insurance or cash and ship it out on the road, and it'll show up on your doorstep," Love said.

Amazon Pharmacy will also fill orders for popular weight loss meds such as Ozempic. Eli Lilly, which makes Mounjaro, chose Amazon to be its delivery partner. But Love says scarcity remains a problem.

"Unfortunately right now, there's big manufacturing shortages in those GLP drugs. They're impacting pharmacies, they're impacting patients and customers who are having a hard time getting them," Love said.

While the nation is also experiencing a shortage in all types of ADHD medications, those medications aren't available on Amazon.

"We aren't delivering Schedule II controlled substances at this time. There is a lot of regulation and scarcity challenges with those specific medications," Love said.

Pharmacist Sherri Cherman with Elements Pharmacy in Studio City says there's room for improvement in the pharmacy industry, but she says independent, neighborhood pharmacies still offer a service Amazon can't deliver such as familiarity, vaccines and personal relationships.

"The use of complicated meds with complicated disease states where you just really need to have somebody's time," Cherman said.

Love hopes Amazon's new same day prescription delivery service will complement what local pharmacies provide.