ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Once it opens sometime in 2024, Michigan Medicine’s new specialty pharmacy facility on Joy Road in Dexter will offer a first-of-its-kind prescription delivery system in our state; using fully electric autonomous drones.
The health system is teaming up with Zipline, the maker and operator of the drones, which have already streamlined deliveries of blood and COVID vaccines in Rwanda and Ghana.
In the United States, Zipline operates in Utah, North Carolina, and Arkansas. Its pilot program at U of M is a first for Michigan.
The drones will dock at the Joy Road facility, and fly to deliver prescriptions within a 10 mile radius to start.
“Currently we send pharmacy product inside of Styrofoam that also has ice packs inside of it,” said Dana Habers, U of M’s Chief Operating Officer of pharmacy services. “With the drone delivery being within 15 minutes, instead of packaging the drug for a 48 hour journey we may be able to limit and have even fewer ice packs, less Styrofoam,” she said.
The optional service seeks to not only trim emissions, but delivery times. Zipline prescriptions will be delivered within 10 to 15 minutes, Habers said.
Michigan Medicine conducted a patient survey in which 30% of people indicated they’d consider opting in to the drone delivery service.
The service will be free for patients, Habers said, and costs the health system less than its current delivery trucks.
7 Action News spoke to some people in downtown Dexter to see how they felt about the concept.
“I think that’d be great,” said Neil Dollhopf.
Tom Garcia also likes the idea, especially for those with mobility issues.
“Whether there’s a snow storm, people can’t get out, or they’re just too sick to get out of the house and they don’t have family around… This could replace that,” he said.
But Tom also shared a concern.
“Maybe air pollution with too many of these,” he told Action News.
The first fleet will have up to a dozen, however Habers said that would increase if more patients opted in.
Unlike the vast majority of drones, the notable buzzing sound on Zipline’s machines isn’t a problem, Habers said. She recently visited one of its facilities in California and she said she barely heard the devices.
The company reports they’re nearly silent, and touted the drones’ ability to deliver to highly specific locations.
“Platform 2 is precise enough to deliver to someone’s patio table or their doorstep,” Chief Regulatory Officer for Zipline, Connor French, told reporters via Zoom last week while speaking on the program’s launch.
Zipline drones deploy a tethered compartment where the prescription medication is kept. That box then zips back up to the larger or so-called mother drone.
“From a security standpoint it actually gives us greatly visibility on the package after it leaves the building here,” Habers said, standing outside the Joy Road facility which is currently under construction.
As for Michigan’s brutal winters and overall severe weather with wind, ice, and the like - Habers said Zipline is prepared.
“We’d had extensive testing. Zipline has been in Utah and other parts of the country,” she said.
That includes flights in North Dakota. The company claims it’s ready for Michigan weather, something that will be put to the test once the facility opens in 2024 and the drones take their first flights.
