‘Following the Amazon playbook’: As digital pharmacy grows more crowded, startups scramble to stand out

Ever since Amazon launched its digital pharmacy late last year, industry rivals have been worried the tech giant would steal the show. Rather than waiting to find out, they’re all scrambling to secure their spot on the stage.

Some, like Nurx and Folx, are zeroing in on underserved or specific populations, hoping to build a loyal, lifetime patient pool. Others, such as Hims, Ro, and GoodRx, are going broad: adding new telemedicine services, offering steep discounts and subscription perks, and in some cases, pitching themselves as a trustworthy, more bespoke alternative to Amazon.

For these companies, “it’s a race to be the first place patients go when they need anything in health care,” Andrew Matzkin, a partner at the consulting firm Health Advances, told STAT.