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Amazon has declared its intention to enter the health care sector in the United States by acquiring a group of online pharmacies that deliver prescription drugs to patients with chronic diseases, which prompted investors to flee the chains.
The acquisition of PillPack, focused on clients needing multiple prescription drugs a day, occurs after months of anxiety in the health industry as Amazon began selling prescription drugs in its quest to become a one-stop shop for everything from batteries and clothes to televisions, movies, music and food.
The retailer already captures more than four dollars out of 10 spent online in the United States, and the possibility The fact that he entered the pharmaceutical industry has sharply dropped the titles of the largest chains pharmacies on Wall Street.
Walg Reens Boots Alliance, which replaced General Electric in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, fell 10% Monday in New York at mid-day, while the stock price of CVS Health Corp. the largest pharmacy operator in And it dropped by almost 7%.
Last year, Amazon paid $ 13.7 billion to buy Whole Foods to intensify its ambition to enter the food sector, which had an immediate similar effect on the market. supermarket chain actions like Kroger and Costco. But the shares of most stores have since recovered, in the sign that Amazon's push for health care may take longer than some investors currently anticipate.
Stefano Pessina, CEO of Walgreens He said Thursday that he did not think that the Amazon movement had a major impact on the industry.
"It's a statement of intent on the part of Amazon, but you can see that the work of pharmacies is much more complex than some pills or packs," Pessina said. "I firmly believe that the role of physical pharmacies will continue to be very, very important."
Amazon did not disclose the terms of the PillPack agreement, but people with information on the subject said that the purchase price was less than one thousand. millions of dollars. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of the year, pending regulatory approval.
Many analysts attribute the recent frenzy of consolidation in the health sector to the specter of Amazon's entry into the industry. CVS reached an agreement to acquire Aetna, the health insurer, for $ 69 billion in December, and in March, Cigna, a competing health insurer, agreed to pay $ 67 billion for Express Scripts, the manager benefits. "This is part of the slow-moving, step-by-step strategy, but this acquisition is a significant development and may well be the first step of many," said Daniel Ives, an analyst at GBH Insights.
Amazon has long sought the pharmacy case. In 1999, he purchased a minority stake in Drugstore.com, but never completely integrated it into his main retail offering. Walgreens then bought the website and finally closed it in 2016.
More recently, Amazon has sought pharmacy licenses in several US states, held meetings with industry executives from the United States. health and hired several senior executives.
He also joined JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway to create a non-profit medical services company that aims to reduce the accounts of its employees and "potentially all Americans." [19659002] By purchasing PillPack, Amazon follows a similar strategy to its purchase of Whole Foods: acquisition of a company with a current presence in a market instead of trying to create a new business within its retail network.
PillPack – which packs the drugs in previously classified doses – is mainly intended for people with chronic diseases or multiple diseases.they take several different pills every day, instead of just taking drugs or using drugs of 39, order on the occasion.
The company delivers in 49 US states and enjoys the support of several investors rec onnu, including venture capital groups Silicon Valley Accel and Menlo Ventures.
Mail-order shipments account for a small proportion of the world prescription drug market, but are considered a source of growth if the aging of the US population is taken into account. higher medical care in the coming years.
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