A North Carolina health facility is now receiving drone-based deliveries.
Pharma giant Merck has teamed up with drone maker Volansi on a pilot project that delivers “cold chain medicines” to rural North Carolina. It’s the first time temperature-controlled medicines have been delivered via drone within the US, Volansi says.
Volansi’s 7-foot VOLY C10 electric drone will bring meds from Merck’s Wilson, North Carolina, manufacturing facility to patients at Vidant Healthplex-Wilson a few miles away. The C10 features a vertical take-off and landing system that lets it land and then release its cargo via “soft touch” system to avoid damage to the included medicines. It can carry up to 10 pounds to spots up to 50 miles away. Cruise speed is about 60mph.
“We’ve seen the world’s supply chain strained like never before from the impact of coronavirus,” Hannan Parvizian, CEO and co-founder of Volansi, said in a statement. “There’s now an accelerated need for rapid advancements in supply chain technology, especially in healthcare. Drone delivery is one solution to getting critical supplies where they are needed, at the moment they are needed most.”
Volansi is currently seeking FAA approval to expand to additional delivery locations.
Drones have also been used to deliver at-home COVID-19 tests and prescription medicines to Florida’s retirement community, as well as disinfect stadiums.
