Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • NEWS FEATURE

Six places where drones are delivering medicines

Drones are increasingly used to deliver essential health supplies in remote, underserved and Indigenous communities, but drone suppliers are keen to expand into the lucrative prescription drug market in the US.
  1. Elizabeth Snouffer

    1. Elizabeth Snouffer is a freelance writer based in New York City, USA.

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

Image credit: Seksan Mongkhonkhamsao/Moment/Getty

Half of the world’s population have limited access to healthcare — but help may be on the way in the form of medical delivery drones. Drones, also known as unmanned aircraft vehicles, can fly long distances over dangerous terrains to deliver medication, vaccines, blood and other samples, and diagnostic kits. Drones can help to ramp up national healthcare systems, and connect hospitals and laboratories with patients, improving outcomes and reducing waiting times, especially in remote communities.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature Medicine 28, 874-875 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41591-022-00053-9

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links