According to CNBC reports, Amazon announced that it will provide new prescription subsidies for Prime members in the United States. The company hopes to use this tactic to increase membership subscriptions and attract users to use its pharmacy services. The add-on service, called RxPass, will allow Prime members to get the drugs they need from a list of 50 generic drugs that can treat more than 80 common chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, anxiety and diabetes. The service costs $5 per person per month, with free home delivery.
In recent years, Amazon has delved deeper into the healthcare space. The company launched its own online pharmacy in 2020, a service born out of its 2018 acquisition of PillPack. Amazon also launched a telehealth service called Amazon Care, then shut it down. In July, the company announced that it would acquire boutique primary care provider, One Medical.
Plus, Amazon offers Prime Prescription Drug Deals, offering up to 80% off generics and up to 40% off branded prescription drugs. The company is beefing up the perks of its Prime subscription program as CEO Andy Jassy looks to cut costs elsewhere at the company. It has considered laying off about 18,000 workers while freezing company hiring and cutting projects. Still, Jassy said Amazon intends to continue pursuing long-term opportunities, including healthcare.
The company’s chief medical officer, Vin Gupta, said its goal is to provide a pharmacy experience that is “fundamentally different” from the way pharmacies have existed for decades. RxPass does not provide insulin or speciality medications, nor is it available to those on Medicaid or Medicare. Gupta declined to say whether Amazon would expand the list of drugs offered through RxPass in the future.
Amazon sends emails to employees: 18,000 layoffs, the largest in tech history
According to reports, Amazon executives sent an email to confirm the launch of a new round of layoffs. This layoff is expected to affect 18,000 people, making it the largest number of layoffs in tech history. Doug Herrington, Amazon’s head of global retail, emailed staff about the layoffs, and Amazon’s head of human resources, Beth Galetti, confirmed the layoffs.
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The human resources and store departments are likely to be hardest hit by the layoffs. Some of Amazon’s staff in the U.S., Canada, and Costa Rica already have their alert. However, in other regions, the layoff official letter will arrive at a later date. As for China, this may take up to the end of this year. Thus, Amazon staff in China are currently sitting on a keg of gun powder.
During the epidemic, Amazon has swiftly expanded its staff. In November last year, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said he would lay off workers. This layoff will mainly affect equipment and HR teams. Jassy will conduct a total review of Amazon’s spending amid the economic crises and slower growth in its core retail business. At present, Amazon has frozen recruitment, cut off some projects, and slowed down the expansion of warehouses.
Amazon launch its air cargo service in India after the US, Europe
A Reuters report reveals that Amazon launched its own air cargo fleet – Amazon Air in India on Monday. The company seeks to expand and speed up delivery in one of its key markets. India is the third market where the company has its Amazon Air, after the US and Europe. The company’s air delivery services started in the U.S. in 2016 and it operates a network of more than 110 aircraft. These planes fly to more than 70 areas around the world.
The company has a deal with trucking brand, Quikjet Cargo Airline Private Ltd, which will use a Boeing 737-800 jet to deliver the goods. Quikjet will deliver to customers in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. The company claims that its air delivery service will support over 1.1 million sellers in India. In addition, the e-commerce giant also uses its own ground delivery service for shipping. In this regard, it has a deal with Blue Dart Express Ltd (BLDT.NS), one of India’s largest air cargo companies controlled by Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPWGn.DE).
