Walmart is expanding its ability to delivery specialty medicines including GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound and other medicines that need to be refrigerated and reconstituted to its same-day delivery offerings. In this photo is the grand opening of a new Wal-Mart Stores Inc. location in Torrance, California, U.S., in 2012. But increasingly more Americans are taking speciality medicines that require refrigeration and special handling so expanding same-day delivery is critical. Photographer: Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg
© 2012 Bloomberg Finance LP
Walmart is expanding its ability to deliver specialty drugs including insulins and GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound and other prescription medicines that need to be refrigerated and reconstituted to its same-day delivery offerings.
The move is significant because specialty pharmacy is an increasingly important player in the U.S. health system given the flood of expensive drugs on the market derived from biotechnology. Such medicines are more complicated than pills and capsules picked up at the corner drugstore or available by mail order because they often require specialized administration, refrigeration, packaging and patient instructions.
In Walmart’s case, the retail giant says refrigerated and reconstituted medicines make up 30% of the company’s pharmacy sales. Adding the new specialty pharmacy capabilities such as refrigeration allows Walmart to now be able to deliver 90% of all prescriptions. Walmart’s annual U.S. pharmacy sales are more than $32 billion, according to estimates.
Walmart says it’s “the first retailer to deliver refrigerated and
reconstituted prescriptions alongside groceries and everyday essentials in a single, convenient online order.”
An Amazon Pharmacy spokeswoman said the online retailer “has shipped refrigerated medications since launching in 2020.”
“Amazon Pharmacy offers a comprehensive range of prescription medications, including refrigerated medications like insulin and GLP-1s,” the company said. “Our service includes both brand-name and generic medications, as well as biologics and injectable medicines.”
Meanwhile, Walgreens and CVS Health have long had the ability to deliver specialty medicines and there are grocery store chains that also own and operate specialty pharmacies where delivery is available.
Walmart wouldn’t disclose what it is spending to add the new capabilities to deliver specialized medications.
“We continue to unlock new levels of convenience while also broadening access to critical medications,” said Kevin Host, senior vice president of pharmacy at Walmart. “Adding refrigerated prescriptions to our pharmacy delivery capabilities is the result of listening to our customers, identifying where we can create even better, seamless experiences, and keeping the communities we serve at the heart of what we do.”
Aside from customer convenience, there is a big financial reason for Walmart and rival retail pharmacy chains to be expanding their specialty pharmacy capabilities. Specialized medications are the nation’s top sellers and a key reason healthcare costs are rising.
GLP-1 weight loss prescriptions Wegovy, Rybelsus, Saxenda, Ozempic and Zepbound — specialized medications that require injection — are the “single biggest driver” of employer health costs, adding 1% to the total premium expense for 2025, according to data released last fall from the benefits consultancy Aon.
Specialty drugs account for well more than half of the total prescription spending any health plan, employer or government health program manages. Employer clients tell benefits consultants specialty costs easily account for 60% or more of their total drug spending, particularly as more Americans flock to GLP-1 medicines.