Amazon’s acquisition of PillPack is a first step, but not a fatal blow for the pharmacy industry

Let’s get this out of the way first: Amazon’s acquisition of PillPack could dramatically shake up the U.S. pharmacy industry and change the way Americans purchase prescription drugs.

But the announcement of this deal is the first step on a long and crooked path, and there is no guarantee that Amazon (AMZN), for all its size and success, will quickly become a major player in the nation’s $370 billion drug business.

The acquisition of PillPack confirms Amazon’s intention to sell prescription drugs to consumers nationwide. With a primary pharmacy located in Manchester, N.H., PillPack has operations across the country and ships prescription drugs in pre-sorted packets to 49 states (the only exception being Hawaii).

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