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

techcrunch.com

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

#41

Post by krasin »

noname120 wrote: post #31
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…

Does this really apply to products sold by Amazon?

yes, it does, sadly. See https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/20/13343682/fake-apple-char...

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

#42

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]

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

#43

Post by colejohnson66 »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #10
rocketpastsix wrote: post #3

Just another step in dominance for Amazon. Pretty soon you will be able to upload your prescriptions to Amazon and Prime Now will deliver within an hour, for $8.99

So now I have to worry about counterfeit pills showing up from Amazon? I’m not overly concerned about their dominance anymore. There are eventually going to be regulated.

> So now I have to worry about counterfeit pills showing up from Amazon?

No, because that would land them straight in jail.

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

#44

Post by samatman »

skybrian wrote: post #30
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…

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

This is not a useful data point, because there is a much larger set that this doesn't meaningfully contribute to.

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

#46

Post by x2f10 »

noname120 wrote: post #31
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…

Does this really apply to products sold by Amazon?

Absolutely! Some time ago, Amazon began mixing their inventory with FBA (fulfilled by Amazon) inventory. I've purchased books and small electronics from Amazon (sold & shipped by Amazon) that turn out to be counterfeit.

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

#47

Post by ceejayoz »

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…

There's absolutely zero chance prescription meds will go through the same "just send us stuff and we'll throw them in a big shared bucket" process regular items do.

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

#48

Post by prostoalex »

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)

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?

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

#49

Post by simonsarris »

cabaalis wrote: post #21
simonsarris wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

> 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. Is severely damaging another online vendor really a failure for Amazon? It seems to me at that level, revenue from a venture is not always the only measure of success.

I had wondered that.

Disclaimer, I'm long SQ.

If you're following AMZN, SQ, or PYPL, you probably saw the headlines back in April:

Amazon's Next Mission: Using Alexa to Help You Pay Friends

Firm looks to make voice commands the next wave of commerce

SQ and PYPL took a small dive on this news, even though at face value, its quite silly. Amazon would probably have a much better time trying to buy PayPal for Venmo or Square for Cash App but also to compete in the small-biz transaction field that Amazon tried and gave up on. Building out such a service based on Alexa users is wacky, and there doesn't seem to be a pressing need to let loose your wallet via voice.

Personally, I think it's somewhat unlikely that AMZN would acquire PYPL due to a clash of cultures when it comes to customer service. (Amazon's: Very good. PayPal's: Legendarily evil). This reputation may also be the reason PayPal has kept their own name off of their Venmo acquisition product until very recently. I think there is a very slight chance that AMZN would try to acquire SQ. It would allow them to really break into small-vendor retail where they have failed with homegrown solutions before, and give them instant access to a growing P2P transaction market. Everybody loves to speculate about such acquisitions, though.

...But it would certainly be funny if the only reason Amazon made that press release was to butter up one of those two companies for acquisition, either by decreasing their share value or exerting pressure on them internally to agree to a deal before they face Amazon's competition.

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

#50

Post by eurticket »

jtchang wrote: post #35

Hopefully Amazon will be able to get rid of express scripts. They are the ultimate middleman sucking both pharmaceutical companies and consumers dry.

This does look like a death blow from multiple angles for ES.

I think ES does provide a service that people want regardless if it hurts Pharmacies and it doesn't hurt consumers if they want to pay for the service; but maybe it affects drug prices in other ways?

If the Cigna deal fails to go through they both owe some billions, coupled with Amazon in their space, ES looks doomed.

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