Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Sina Technology News Beijing time on the evening of September 5, it is reported that people familiar with the matter said today that Amazon is considering entering the Japanese prescription drug market. This could be a turning point for Japan's brick-and-mortar drugstores.

Amazon plans to work with small and medium-sized drugstores in Japan to create a prescription drug sales platform, according to people familiar with the matter. After users place an order online, they can sit at home and wait for delivery. Through this platform, patients can also receive online instructions on how to take drugs.

Amazon plans to launch the service next year, when electronic prescriptions will be considered legal in Japan. Of course, Amazon will not run its own pharmacy. Instead, Amazon will invite small and medium-sized drugstores to sell prescription drugs online, while distribution services will be provided by Amazon.

Amazon declined to comment.

This change will allow patients to receive medical care online or to obtain electronic prescriptions after visiting medical institutions in person. They can then order drugs from Amazon's online drugstore. The drugstore will be responsible for dispensing drugs and providing patients with online instructions on how to take them. Amazon's distribution network will deliver drugs from pharmacies to patients' homes.

After the outbreak, Japan began to allow online medical care, online guidance on how to take prescription drugs, and preliminary patient counseling. These measures will be in effect permanently this spring. Next, as e-prescriptions become legal, it is possible to provide complete online medical services.

Since the price of prescription drugs in Japan is fixed, there will not be much difference in out-of-pocket expenses (except freight) for patients who buy drugs online. Therefore, the drugstore located near the patient's home can quickly deliver goods for buyers. Through this platform, Amazon can introduce consumers to drugstores that can meet their needs.

As of fiscal year 2020, there were about 60000 pharmacies dispensing prescription drugs in Japan. In the past decade, that number has increased by about 10%. If online sales become widespread, traditional drugstores that rely on geographical advantages may face fierce competition.

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