In most recent news, the company of Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), whose central focus is the buying and distribution of goods and services, has announced that it would like to open up a pharmacy in order to potentially compete with other pharmaceutical companies, with the stand out rival being GoodRx (NASDAQ: GDRX).
Amazon has already created an online application that allows users to manage their prescriptions, as well as to add any sort of personal information in relation to the prescriptions. Some of the key features that the new Amazon Pharmacy will offer include: home delivery, PillPack, and prescription savings benefit.
The home delivery feature provides both fast and viable options so that consumers are able to have a more convenient experience. The company stated that Amazon Pharmacy will always comply with HIPAA laws, which protect the consumer's medical and personal information.
The PillPack is yet another pharmaceutical service provided through Amazon Pharmacy that offers multiple prescription drugs delivered in convenient dosing packaging, similar to services offered by GoodRx. The PillPack service in conjunction with Amazon Prime prescription savings allows members to potentially save up to 80% from generic names and 40% from brand names when paying without insurance.
These main features, in coupled with the promise of a fast and safe delivery from such a well-known company as Amazon, will surely attract consumers to the new pharmaceutical aspects of the delivery giant.
GoodRx, a newly public company that specializes in finding discounts for prescription drugs, has been listed as a lead potential competitor for Amazon Pharmacy. The Chief Executive Officer of GoodRx, Doug Hirsch, however, claims that the two companies are more capable of working alongside with each other than most would be led to believe.
Hirsch claims that GoodRx is a "marketplace" while Amazon is just offering another pharmacy, like CVS (NYSE: CVS) or Walgreens (NASDAQ: WBA). But GoodRx, nevertheless, seems to present a stronger business model than Amazon Pharmacy, with GoodRx collecting revenue through coupons that are presented at various pharmacies. The company also acquires money from the pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) whenever consumers show their coupons to the pharmacies.
For example, if a client were to pay $20 for a prescription drug, the PBM would perhaps collect about $6 from the pharmacy, thus leaving the pharmacy with around $14. Due to the nature of the GoodRx business model, and how it allows for consumers to benefit in terms of discounts of prescription drugs, GoodRx can be seen as a leader above Amazon Pharmacy.
The principles of Amazon Pharmacy contain a customer focus and a strong devotion to innovative thinking, but GoodRx seems to think in terms of the company's success, both on a monetary and relational level. Although the CEO of GoodRx fails to see the competition between the two companies, there is evidently some sort of division in the midst of harmony.