Amazon Pharmacy's RxPass program improves medication adherence, helps prime members save money, study finds

Approximately half of all Americans do not take their medication as prescribed by their doctor. This medication non-adherence causes an estimated 125,000 additional deaths and as much as $300 billion a year in additional medical appointments, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations.

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open finds Amazon Pharmacy’s subscription service for common medications, RxPass, leads to significant improvements in medication adherence while reducing out-of-pocket costs for patients. This first-of-its-kind study evaluated the potential of subscription models to support prescription medication access and adherence.

The peer-reviewed research found that enrollment in RxPass led to subscribers having 27% more of their medication on-hand compared with customers not enrolled in the program, enabling them to be clinically adherent to their medications. Similarly, subscribers were 29% more likely to refill their medications. Enrollment was also associated with a decrease in out-of-pocket spending of $2.35 per month, a 30% decrease.

A promising tool for medication management

“This study suggests RxPass is a promising tool to improve medication management among patients with chronic conditions, especially those who take multiple medications and may have a limited income," said Dr. Vin Gupta, Chief Medical Officer at Amazon Pharmacy. "RxPass is a simple option for a significant problem in healthcare. Addressing medication non-adherence can prevent further disease progression and reduce overall costs.”

Launched in January 2023, RxPass offers Prime members access to 60 prescription medications for a flat fee of $5 per month. The program provides affordable access to many of the most commonly prescribed medications including statins, anti-hypertensives, and antidepressants, which treat chronic conditions. RxPass medications help people manage high blood pressure, high cholesterol, anxiety—conditions that impact hundreds of millions of Americans.

The research, conducted by a team led by Senior Healthcare Research Scientist Kai Yeung, Ph.D., Pharm.D., of Amazon Health Services, compared a sample of approximately 5,000 RxPass enrollees and control subjects over a six-month period.

Non-adherence has many causes

Conditions such as cardiovascular disease, when not treated regularly with medication, can develop into more severe health issues including heart attack or stroke. Ongoing high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, stroke, or kidney failure.

"Patients face multiple barriers to medication adherence, making it a challenging issue to address across healthcare," Dr. Yeung said. "RxPass tackles patient challenges holistically, simplifying medication management by reducing both the financial and administrative burdens. Subscribers know the cost upfront, have medications delivered to their door, and benefit from 24/7 access to a pharmacist. Our early findings indicate a low-cost subscription model can be an effective tool to help patients get and stay on their medications.”

Subscription programs like RxPass leverage a number of cognitive and behavioral factors including transparent pricing, automatic subscription renewal, bundling of goods or services, and enhanced customer support to engage customers.

“Improving health is often reliant on a series of small, consistent steps,” said Dr. Gupta. “I’m excited by the promise of the subscription medication model for chronic care, and compelled by how it could evolve the way we think about supporting our patients.”

RxPass is one of many ways to save with Amazon Pharmacy

Launched in 2020, Amazon Pharmacy continues to expand its services by offering a range of convenient and cost-effective options for filling prescriptions including RxPass, the Prime prescription savings benefit, and automatic coupons. Paired with features like fast, free delivery and 24/7 access to pharmacists, Amazon Pharmacy is transforming the pharmacy experience to support customers seeking new value, convenience, and selection.

"At Amazon Pharmacy, we're dedicated to being a partner in our customers' health journeys,” said John Love, VP of Amazon Pharmacy. “Whether it's through RxPass, our 24/7 pharmacist access, or convenient delivery options, we're constantly innovating to support our customers in achieving their health goals."

About Amazon Pharmacy

Amazon Pharmacy is a full-service pharmacy available on Amazon—essentially, a pharmacy in your pocket. It offers most prescription medications, delivering them to customers' doors with free two-day shipping for Prime members and same-day delivery in eligible locations. Amazon Pharmacy is improving the pharmacy experience by providing 24/7 access to pharmacists, upfront pricing, and many ways to save. It accepts most insurance plans, automatically applies eligible manufacturer-sponsored coupons, and offers additional savings options for Prime members through RxPass and Prime Rx. For those managing multiple daily medications, Amazon Pharmacy supports PillPack, a service that sorts medications by time and day.