Boots has become the first pharmacy in the UK to transport prescription-only medicines using drones.
The company has collaborated with medical drone delivery startup Apian to facilitate a trial from Portsmouth to the Isle of Wight. The test flights are conducted with an electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with a 5-meter long wingspan that can carry up to 20 kgs.
Drones have huge potential in the delivery of medicines and it is incredibly exciting to be the first community pharmacy in the UK to transport them in this way. An island location like the Isle of Wight seemed like a sensible place to start a trial of drones and their value to the delivery of medicines to more remote locations is very clear.
Rich Corbridge, Chief Information Officer at Boots
Similarly to Boots, the UK’s health services (NHS) are also conducting medical drone delivery trials on the Isle of Wight. Both the NHS and Boots hope that the implementation of drones can cut delivery time and cost.