Patients are increasingly opting for prescription drug delivery services instead of in-person pharmacy visits during the pandemic, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The fear of contracting COVID-19 keeps many Americans from venturing outside their homes, especially if they can avoid it. Drug delivery companies and the now widespread availability of delivery options offered by retail and locally owned pharmacies is making patients feel they have a safer option.
Mail-order prescriptions increased 21 percent from last year during the last week of March, now taking up 5.8 percent of the total prescription drug market share. Retail pharmacy giant CVS reported a 10-fold increase in prescription deliveries after eliminating fees in early March, The Wall Street Journal reported.
This trend is not expected to go away after the pandemic. This is especially true among younger patients, who have fewer prescriptions and are used to purchasing online.