Amazon will decide whether to enter the U.S.'s multibillion-dollar prescription drug market before Thanksgiving, according to a company email obtained by CNBC.
If Amazon moves forward with the plan, the company will hire drug supply chain experts to sit on its senior team, an unnamed source told CNBC. While the company has never confirmed its interest in the drug market, Amazon has been hiring more healthcare leaders and expanding its drug and medical supply distribution in recent months, leading many to believe the retailer is ramping up for such a market entry.
Shares of the drug retailers Walgreens Boots Alliance, CVS Health Corp. and Rite Aid Corp. fell Friday following CNBC's report. Rite Aid and CVS Health's stock both dropped 4.9 percent at close, and Walgreens' fell 5.8 percent, according to Reuters.
Amazon declined both CNBC's and Reuter's request for comment.
More articles on supply chain:
FTC to hold workshop on high drug prices
Baxter recalls frozen Intralipid shipment: 4 things to know
4 latest FDA approvals