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ScriptDrop signs deal with Uber to aid on-demand delivery for pharmacies

Amanda Epp, ScriptDrop CEO, joins Yahoo Finance’s Alexis Christoforous and Kristin Myers to discuss outlook on the prescription delivery industry and ScriptDrop partnering with Uber.

Video transcript

KRISTIN MYERS: Prescription delivery has gotten even more popular throughout the pandemic. So let's chat more with Amanda Epp, CEO of ScriptDrop.

So Amanda, the pandemic pulled forward a lot of growth for a lot of companies. We were just hearing Netflix had that happen to them. Wondering what kind of growth you're anticipating moving forward, once the pandemic ends and folks are more comfortable going back out and going to their local pharmacy again to pick up their prescriptions.

AMANDA EPP: Yes, well, I definitely think there is a new normal. And what we found is our pharmacy partners, the retailers out there, you know, really have to embrace delivery, because consumers are starting to demand it. They used to always toy around with the fact that you want that foot traffic to grow the basket size. But everything being delivered nowadays, you need to get your prescriptions delivered as well. Because ScriptDrop knows, healthy outcomes start at home first and foremost.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: So break down for us how this works. What's sort of the business model here? I know that you have some big-name clients already, the brick-and-mortars like Rite Aid, Publix, Albertsons, as they try to compete with those digital pharmacies. But how much are you charging? And who picks up that cost? Is that something that I, as the consumer, would be paying extra for? Or is the company who is your client picking up that cost?

AMANDA EPP: Yeah, so our clients are pharmacies and health systems. And they're providing the delivery service to their patients. So they're usually covering the cost, especially right now, or they are passing some of the costs through to their patients.

But what we do is we really provide that infrastructure, that support, that one-stop shop in order for a large chain, like a Rite Aid or an Albertsons, to enable prescription delivery at a really low administrative burden for their staff. Especially right now, as they're also adding vaccinations to there to-do list, being able to support prescription delivery is really important.

So you need to have those health care professionals, who have very valuable time, spending that with patient care and not always on scheduling delivery. So our technology allows them to do that.

KRISTIN MYERS: So speaking of those deliveries, Amanda, you guys have partnered with Uber to make some of those deliveries happen. How do you work through the safety issues, the privacy concerns, but also the accuracy? I've ordered on Uber Eats, and more times than I can count, things have been missing from my order. It's fine when it's a burger, not so fine when it's my prescriptions that I need.

AMANDA EPP: Yes, so that's why ScriptDrop exists and why we partner with our pharmacies and health systems. We're really that aggregator to understand what the pharmacy or health system or consumer needs in a delivery. So we have a lot of different delivery partner options. And we're the ones really that help and coach our career partners, as well as our pharmacies, meeting those requirements, understanding chain of custody and HIPAA compliance. And so we're really managing all of that for the delivery partners and for our customers, the pharmacies and health systems.

ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS: So what's next for ScriptDrop? I mean, as things start to open up a little more, what are some ways you're looking at-- by open up, I mean the economy opening up a little bit. What are some ways that you-- you hope to have your company sort of change with consumer behavior?

AMANDA EPP: Yes. Well, where ScriptDrop is headed is-- we're really that aggregator that pulls together all of the different delivery partners for our customers, the folks in health care. But really, it's the patients that we're impacting the most.

We need to make sure that there's a safety net along the entire prescription journey for patients. Because we understand life gets in the way. You can leave your doctor's office and have every intention that you're going to go through the pharmacy drive-through, but something happens, and your care suffers or your health suffers because of that.

So being able to provide delivery options throughout the entire script journey. So all the way from your doctor writing the prescription, you being able to access that delivery for the prescription is really important for us and where we're headed next.

KRISTIN MYERS: I want to ask you one last quick question here, Amanda. I know you raised a couple million just a couple months ago, back in October. Wondering, however, if there is interest for ScriptDrop to go public, or perhaps to even be acquired by one of these larger pharmacies that perhaps wants to bring in that delivery service as a part of what they're doing.

AMANDA EPP: Yes, I think there's a ton of different opportunities for ScriptDrop, especially that. I think a lot of our retail partners and different companies that are providing delivery today are looking for those options. How else can I expand my basket size or be able to understand and predict when a patient is going to need a prescription delivery? And that's really where we can come in and why we're exploring all options.

KRISTIN MYERS: All right, Amanda Epp, CEO of ScriptDrop. Thank you so much for joining us.