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Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

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Re: Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

#111

Post by xkjkls »

elvirs wrote: post #56
charleyma wrote: post #2

Meanwhile, CVS + Walgreens lost $6B in market cap on the news Amazon is moving directly into pharmacy space. It's crazy how competitive Wall Street views Amazon moving into a market; have there been examples of Amazon making a large purchase/move but completely failing? (sure there are, just not coming me off the top of my head)

this happens all the time. wall street makes money from stocks going up and down, they are designed to react to anything by sending stocks up or down. you can confidently buy some CVS Walgreens stock because I bet that stock is climbing back up within weeks

I'm pretty sure the investors on Wall Street are far more sophisticated than just your "confidence".

Re: Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

#112

Post by miles »

pen2l wrote: post #79
tombrossman wrote: post #18

This is interesting because Amazon isn't exactly known for supply chain integrity. Who here hasn't received fakes from Amazon? If you rely on a specific medication for your health, is Amazon a brand you trust to deliver it? How long until they start commingling pills and shipping random counterfeit/fake product to users? Hope it never happens but if they do with pharmaceuticals what they did with everything else they…

> This is interesting because Amazon isn't exactly known for supply chain integrity. The supply chain integrity problems were allowed by Amazon because it benefited their bottom line. If they wanted it perfect, they could have made it perfect. Remember when the eclipse was happening and they actually did a pretty good job of removing all glasses which weren't safe? They know where integrity counts, and I think when i…

> They know where integrity counts, and I think when it comes to pharmaceuticals they'll know how to play this game clean. As another user commented: Amazon didn't get this humongous by making silly mistakes like this.

Exploding hoverboard case shows how hard it is to beat Amazon in court

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/02/amazon-not-liable-for-explod...

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17216972

> [T]here were so many cases of fires and explosions that Amazon had halted sales. [...] Fox's case was filled with testimony and evidence illustrating that Amazon execs were concerned about the hoverboards sold on its site. [...] [A]n Amazon vice president said the company had decided to halt sales of hoverboards and send a 'non-alarmist' email to existing customers [...] Fox received the email the next day. It referenced 'recent news reports of safety issues' and offered 'safety tips' for using the product as well as an option to return the device for a refund. There was no use of the word 'fire' or 'explosion.' Fox testified that if Amazon had said that 'they knew what they knew, I certainly would have gotten it out of my house.'

Re: Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

#113

Post by willio58 »

tombrossman wrote: post #18

This is interesting because Amazon isn't exactly known for supply chain integrity. Who here hasn't received fakes from Amazon? If you rely on a specific medication for your health, is Amazon a brand you trust to deliver it? How long until they start commingling pills and shipping random counterfeit/fake product to users? Hope it never happens but if they do with pharmaceuticals what they did with everything else they…

Isn’t that part of the reason they’re buying a company that has developed strategies for this sort of thing?

Re: Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

#114

Post by vpmpaul »

simonsarris wrote: post #17
charleyma wrote: post #2

Meanwhile, CVS + Walgreens lost $6B in market cap on the news Amazon is moving directly into pharmacy space. It's crazy how competitive Wall Street views Amazon moving into a market; have there been examples of Amazon making a large purchase/move but completely failing? (sure there are, just not coming me off the top of my head)

All the time. They tried to make a move into retail registers to compete with Square, and failed. They shuttered Amazon register in 2015: https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/30/amazon-shutting-do... They tried to take on Etsy with Amazon Handmade which bombed Etsy stock, but Handmade has gone pretty much nowhere, except some re-branding this year. People just forget Amazon's failed ventures, even fairly high profi…

Dont forget one of their biggest failures. Fire Phone.

Re: Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

#115

Post by maimeowmeow »

xkjkls wrote: post #99
maimeowmeow wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Food items can end up 2x+ times the price over a grocery store because there are hidden shipping costs. And many times the higher prices cause less people to purchase, so the item has a short experiation date. And Im concerned about knockoffs as well.

Knockoffs of what food? Like selling not organic produce as organic?

I used to hear about family members recieving fake ferroro rocher in America many years ago. But here is an recent example in china.

https://www.confectionerynews.com/Article/2017/02/08/Fake-Fe...

If there was any incentive to create and sell a knock off product, it is only increased when Amazon provides laxadasial environment.

Re: Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

#116

Post by prepend »

whatok wrote: post #83
prostoalex wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The target market is dominated by seniors, who no longer have to drive to a local pharmacy and hang around the store while waiting for the subscription to be fulfilled. I am frankly surprised no dominant online player has emerged yet. Perhaps the shipping costs were a constraint?

At a previous employer, I attended a briefing for our health insurance switching to a mail order pharmacy. Granted this was years ago but the amount of confusion and frustration around the signup process, scheduling, skepticism about delivery times/reliability, etc were numerous. To me, it couldn't have been an easier process. For some people (especially retirees), going to the local pharmacy is part of a regular rou…

I don’t get many prescriptions so when my doc writes one I don’t care who fills it. She couldn’t send it to a random mail order pharmacy, I had to pick one.

I think there’s a big opportunity for insurers to pick a default mail pharmacy that customers out of. So depending on your insurer, the EMR automatically files with a pharmacy you don’t care about and mails it to you within 24 hours.

Re: Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

#117

Post by Grazester »

GurnB wrote: post #66
skybrian wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just as a data point, I don't believe I've gotten a fake from Amazon.

Try buying a PS4/PS3/Xbox controller. There is a good chance it is a good looking fake. Apple accessories are another hit or miss target.

This is true of the PS3 controller(same on ebay). I dont know about the PS4 and Xbox

Re: Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

#118

Post by 0x4f3759df »

xkjkls wrote: post #99
maimeowmeow wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Food items can end up 2x+ times the price over a grocery store because there are hidden shipping costs. And many times the higher prices cause less people to purchase, so the item has a short experiation date. And Im concerned about knockoffs as well.

Knockoffs of what food? Like selling not organic produce as organic?

NPR interviewed the author of Real Food, Fake Food. Basically everything is fake, olive oil, fish, Parmesan cheese

http://www.realfoodfakefood.com/real-food-fake-food-book-by-...

Re: Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

#119

Post by prepend »

mikeatlas wrote: post #90
cabaalis wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious if you know why the ADD meds must be hand-delivered when government is actively incentivising e-prescribing among providers?

Controlled substance and cannot be prescribed more than 1mo supply at a time.

I thought controlled substances required eprescribing, but they aren’t per the DEA. They are allowed though. [0]

It must just be some health systems require it as policy.

[0] https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/ecomm/e_rx/faq/faq.htm

Re: Amazon buys PillPack, an online pharmacy, for just under $1B

#120

Post by lovetrump »

Molaxx wrote: post #95

The issue isn't fakes, it's the fact over medication is a real problem. Thank heavens that where I live drug advertising is illegal. After a visit to the US and encountering the brainwash machine of drug companies I realized just how important this law is.

at least they have to list all the side-effects in their ads, but it is still crazy...
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