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How Zipline delivers medical products by drone

Zipline’s fixed-wing drones are delivering medical supplies in North Carolina. [Image courtesy of Zipline]

There’s a new mode of last-mile delivery of medical products to patients and pharmacies made possible by a few neat feats of engineering.

San Francisco-based Zipline and its fleet of Zip delivery drones are now flying for Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH), Novant Health and Magellan Rx Management from a hub in North Carolina.

The new Kannapolis, North Carolina distribution center — think of it like a medical fulfillment warehouse combined with a drone airport — is where orders are picked, packed and launched, reaching drop zones within a 7,800-square-mile area in as little as 15 minutes.

This aerial view of Zipline’s North Carolina distribution center shows the tall towers used to bring the drones back to the ground. [Photo co…

Cardinal Health starts Zipline drone deliveries of drugs and medical supplies

Zipline’s fixed-wing drones are delivering medical supplies in North Carolina. [Image courtesy of Zipline]Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) today started air delivery of pharmaceutical products and medical supplies via Zipline drone in North Carolina.

San Francisco-based Zipline won FAA Part 135 air carrier certification for the long-range flights earlier this month. The company flew its first commercial deliveries on June 22 with an initial 16-nautical-mile flight.

The flights starting today are out of Zipline’s hub in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on behalf of Cardinal Health as well as Novant Health and Magellan Rx Management.

Zipline said the hub can serve customers within a 7,800-square-mile area in as little as 15 minutes, with 98 percent lower emissions than traditional delivery options.

Get the full story at our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.

Cardinal Health starts Zipline drone deliveries of drugs and medical supplies

Zipline’s fixed-wing drones are delivering medical supplies in North Carolina. [Image courtesy of Zipline]

Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH) today started air delivery of pharmaceutical products and medical supplies via Zipline drone in North Carolina.

San Francisco-based Zipline won FAA Part 135 air carrier certification for the long-range flights earlier this month. The company flew its first commercial deliveries on June 22 with an initial 16-nautical-mile flight.

The flights starting today are out of Zipline’s hub in Kannapolis, North Carolina, to Cardinal Health as well as Novant Health and Magellan Rx Management.

Zipline said the hub can serve customers within a 7,800-square-mile area in as little as 15 minutes, with 98 percent lower emissions than traditional delivery options.

“We imagine a future in which goods are transported nearly instantly,” Zipline founder and CEO Keller …

FAA certifies Zipline for U.S. medical supply drone delivery

Zipline announced that it received certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for U.S. drone deliveries.

San Francisco-based Zipline garnered FAA Part 135 air carrier certification, authorizing it to complete the longest-range on-demand commercial drone deliveries in the U.S.

Part 135 certification allows Zipline to significantly expand its U.S. service with partners, including Novant Health, Cardinal Health, Intermountain Healthcare, and Magellan Rx Management. According to a news release, with initial flights out of Zipline’s hub in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the company will begin operations with Novant Health, Magellan Rx and Cardinal Health later this month.

The company operates with Walmart in the U.S., Toyota Tsusho in Japan and at a national scale in Rwanda and Ghana. In Rwanda and Ghana, it serves more than 2,000 healthcare facilities. Zipline also plans to launch deliveries in Utah with its partner Intermountain He…