Rising Above the Barriers to Care

Rising Above the Barriers to Care 

It’s no longer science fiction. The use of drones promises to provide those with chronic medical conditions with faster and easier access to the therapies they need.

By Mostafa Kamal, CEO at Magellan Rx Management

For many patients, attaining the medicines they need can be a frustrating experience. While millions now receive their prescription drugs in the mail, the refined networks that increasingly make same-day deliveries possible all too often remain problematic for those who simply cannot reorganize their schedule to wait for the prescription drugs they need to treat complex medical conditions.

Even in the best of circumstances, parcel carriers typically offer a full-day delivery window, a reality that can be exacerbated by the over stretched capacity of their networks. This has become a more common occurrence since the pandemic fueled a dramatic increase in e-commerce, traffic delays, and even macro-economic trends such as the labor shortage that continues to plague many logistics companies.

For patients with busy family and work schedules, accommodating a nebulous “it will get there sometime today” delivery schedule can be a significant, and at times, insurmountable barrier to care. It’s also not the only issue or challenge involved.

As pharmaceutical professionals know, not all therapies travel well. This is often particularly true of those used to treat rare and complex conditions. Environmental considerations like temperature, and more than anything else time, are important gating factors. These challenges are true regardless of whether one is transporting a needed drug in a delivery truck or through a courier service.

Fortunately, there is an alternative. Autonomous aircrafts are a very real and effective option for the instant delivery of pharmaceuticals, particularly in metropolitan areas where traditional delivery networks are prone to delays. And while any discussion of delivery drones is often associated with science fiction and references to the Jetsons, they are already being used to make crucial medical deliveries. In fact, they are proven and relied on around the world.

Rwanda is but one compelling example. In the latest chapter of the country’s ongoing and inspiring efforts to provide new levels of medical care, drones have emerged as an efficient way to deliver treatments to patients in locations where traditional delivery methods fall short. Built by Zipline, a California-based instant logistics innovator, these autonomous aircrafts are used to deliver everything from vaccines, to prescription drugs, and blood supplies with incredible efficiency, reliability and accuracy.

With a wingspan of just over 10 feet, quiet motors, and a payload of four pounds, each drone can be loaded and deployed to make its delivery to a patient within a 100-mile round-trip. Variants of these drones have already flown more than 19 million miles on more than 270,000 flights.

How they work is a model of innovation and ingenuity. Once the prescription order comes in, the medication is picked and packaged. The location of the delivery is then entered into a precise GPS unit within a freshly charged battery packet. It is then inserted into the drone, which is put into flight with a state-of-the-art launcher in a matter of moments. Once it arrives at the patient’s location, the medical supplies are dropped gently using a disposable paper parachute – all with an accuracy of less than a meter. The drone then automatically returns to the facility to pick up its next prescription order.

All of this happens in a fraction of the time of other delivery methods. Trucks, for example, can break down, get stuck, and must travel slowly in rural areas. In contrast, Zipline’s drones travel at more than 60 miles per hour and include fully redundant systems. Notably, Zipline’s distribution centers in Rwanda operate 24/7 and can make up to 500 deliveries each day.

These capabilities are just as applicable in congested and residential areas where patients with complex and rare conditions are best served when critically important therapies can be delivered faster than ever before. Magellan Rx Management recently collaborated with Zipline to begin a program with other providers who share our vision to offer these patients with a delivery window of 30 minutes or less.

In this way, it is our hope that we can literally overcome another barrier to care.

 

About the author

Mostafa Kamal is the CEO at Magellan Rx Management – a next-generation pharmacy organization.