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Medicine delivered straight to your doorstep? Starting next year, that will be possible.

Each year, the University of Michigan’s Michigan Medicine delivers close to 125,000 prescriptions to patients. Soon, it will add one more method of delivery … drones.

“They’ll be delivering patients’ prescriptions from our pharmacy facility to patients in their homes,” said Dana Habers, Chief Innovation Officer at U of M Health/Chief Operating Officer for Pharmacy Services.

Through a partnership with “Zipline,” the company behind the drones, Habers says this technology will be better for the environment.

“Our ability to deliver by drone reduces our carbon emissions on each delivery by about 97% compared to a truck delivery which is our primary mode today,” Habers says.

Second and most important, it will be quicker and more convenient for patients to get their medicine.

“It’s a 15-minute delivery window. Right now, our truck deliveries are packaged and sent within 48 hours. It allows new patients who are starting new treatments or therapies to get that drug in hand almost the minute they get home from their clinic visit,” said Habers.

The drones will deliver across a 10-mile radius from Michigan Medicine’s Dexter facility and will silently hover 300-feet above the ground. 

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