Amazon Pharmacy on Tuesday launched a new Prime membership benefit called RxPass, a subscription service that gives patients access to generic medications for more than 80 common health conditions for a flat fee of $5 per month. 

"Prime members already get fast, free delivery on prescription medications, and RxPass is one more way to save with Amazon Pharmacy," said John Love, vice president of Amazon Pharmacy. "Any customer who pays more than $10 a month for their eligible medications will see their prescription costs drop by 50% or more, plus they save time by skipping a trip to the pharmacy." 

When Amazon Pharmacy, a subsidiary of the ecommerce company, formed in 2020, its main offering was two-day delivery of prescription drugs. With RxPass, the company is bundling commonly prescribed medicines into a subscription package. The company said Amazon pharmacists will be on hand 24/7 to coordinate with doctors and help with refills. 

Covered medicines include generic versions of antidepressant drugs such as Zoloft and Wellbutrin; generic versions of drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction such as Viagra; the antibiotic amoxicillin; and the anti-inflammatory drug naproxen.

RxPass notably will not accept insurance, including Medicaid or Medicare coverage. 

Amazon also touted its Prime prescription savings benefit, which offers discounts of up to 80 percent off generic and 40 percent off brand name medications at more than 60,000 participating pharmacies nationwide. 

The company has steadily made inroads into health care. In July 2022, Amazon purchased telehealth company One Medical for nearly $4 billion. Later in the year, it also announced a health messaging service called Amazon Clinic.