DoorDash enables home delivery of pharmacy drugs

Australians who are sick or unable to visit the pharmacy will now be able to have their prescriptions delivered by gig economy workers.

DoorDash chief executive officer and co-founder Tony Xu. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Global delivery provider DoorDash has teamed with three local online pharmacy marketplaces to enable over-the-counter and prescription medicines to be delivered in Australia, after the pan­demic led to a sustained spike in demand for both on-demand deliveries and remote GP consults.

Launched this week, the medicine delivery service is available through DoorDash’s white-label delivery service DoorDash Drive. It allows pharmacies to fulfil orders from their own e-commerce platform, with the deliveries then made by DoorDash drivers.

DoorDash has partnered with online pharmacy marketplaces Chemist2U, Packapill and Melbourne start-up Medmate for the offering, which is available ­nationally. To access pharmacy delivery, customers place an order via the merchants’ website, select the “Fast” delivery option, and the ­delivery is then facilitated via ­DoorDash.

“We’re thrilled to offer access to certain over-the-counter and prescription medication, providing convenience to Australians, particularly those who are unwell or can’t get to a pharmacy,” DoorDash Australia and New Zealand general manager Rebecca Burrows told The Australian.

She said most prescription medications would be generally available for delivery except for any above schedule 4.

Medmate chief operating officer Sudhir Rao said the move from DoorDash represented a step in the right direction for the health industry, particularly in providing accessibility to people who were unwell.

“The service DoorDash offers is of a very high standard, continually innovating, and the entire team have been a pleasure to work with,” Mr Rao said.

DoorDash has partnered with online pharmacy marketplaces Chemist2U, Packapill and Melbourne start-up Medmate for the prescription medicine delivery service, which is available nationally. Picture: AFP

The move comes as gig economy companies such as DoorDash prepare for new legislation in the first half of next year that would set minimum pay and conditions for the workers. A DoorDash spokeswoman said the company was waiting to see the details of the proposed laws before it could comment.

CEO and co-founder Tony Xu told The Australian in a recent interview his company was ready to work with unions and the Albanese government to try to find a regulatory win-win.

“It’s a new way of working,” Mr Xu said. “Traditional labour standards and models were designed around a model where we work nine-to-five and for one employer likely for the entirety of our life or career. And where we are now, people value flexibility, and they value their time as much if not more than their money.

“As a result, they care about when they can work, where they can work, and that goes against the traditional labour model. So the question becomes how do we offer this flexibility, and some of the things that traditional standards have tried to uphold, whether that’s earnings standards, or safety protection, and the ways workers are ought to be protected. We’ll work with the government.”

It follows news last month, first reported by The Australian, that DoorDash was one of at least 130 companies caught up in a data breach, after hackers used a phishing program to capture sensitive information that includes partial segments of credit card details, phone numbers and emails.

“The advanced tactics used appear to be connected to a wider phishing campaign that has targeted a number of other companies,” DoorDash said. “We under­stand that law enforcement is aware of this campaign and is actively investigating.”

The company’s shares are down 60 per cent this year amid a broader tech downturn.

Originally published as DoorDash enables home delivery of pharmacy drugs